It's Not Fair!

Scripture: Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? Ezekiel 18:29

Observation: Ezekiel is talking about how those who repent will be forgiven, even if they have lived a wicked life. Apparently, this did not sit well with God’s people, who believed more in karma than grace. In their minds, God was valuing a moment of repentance over (in their minds) a lifetime of obedience. This is the prodigal son’s brother, angry over how unfair the father is for forgiving repentance and not valuing obedience.

But God points out the irony of this attack: People who are not just are accusing God of not being fair.

Application: God is just. I am not. Just yesterday, I was going off about another person’s actions, indignant that they could act in such a way. Yet even while I was talking, I heard a small voice pointing out the same hypocrisy in my life. Is my life living with justice? Am I quick to accuse others, or even God? Maybe I need to scale down my indignation and look at my own life before I go on the warpath.

Prayer: God, help me to be humble today, not quick to judge motives and actions. Give me compassion today. May I yield and submit to your authority. You are just in all you do. Help me live like I believe that.

Why Am I Really Mad At God?

Scripture: They wrong the barren, childless woman, and do no good to the widow. Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life. Job 24:21-22

Observation: Job is frustrated with the struggle between God’s sovereignty and the obvious injustice in the world. If God does whatever he desires and no one can turn him back (23:13), then why do those who take advantage of the poor prosper? Why do those who perpetuate injustice seem to flourish under God’s control? This is why Job is so bitter: God says he cares about injustice, yet seems to do nothing when it occurs.
But is Job really that concerned about injustice in his world, or is he using this to protest his own feelings about how God has dealt with him? Job feels he has done everything right before God, and he has been treated unjustly. This bitterness turns into a general complaint about how God deals with injustice.
So often, we get riled up over how God deals with this world when the real issue is between God and us. We hide behind theological and philosophical arguments and talk about situations half-way around the world when the real issue is: We are mad at God about *our* situation.

Application: I often find myself angry about things I see in this world, or actions of others. And I can easily characterize these things as indictments of God. But could it be that the reason for my anger is that I feel I have gotten a raw deal? Am I failing to go to God and directly deal with the issue, instead hiding behind theological and philosophical arguments about good and evil?

Prayer: God, help me look below the waterline, to see what really motivates my feelings and actions. To see if my anger is motivated by holy discontent, or a sense of personal loss. Show me what is going on in the waters of my heart.

Observe Kindness and Justice--July 7th

Scripture: Sow with a view to righteousness. Reap in accordance with kindness (Hosea 10:12)...Observe kindness and justice and wait for your God continually (Hosea 12:6)
Observation: God shows his passion for justice and kindness. So why does His passion get labeled as "social justice" and dismissed as liberal?
Application: Observing kindness and justice has to start in my own home--in the way I treat my family. Am I kind to my kids by being patient with them and speaking softly to them? Am I just with my kids, in making sure they get their dad, not what is left over? Beyond this, what do I need to do to live out and model the kind of justice God speaks about here and in Isaiah 58?
Prayer: God, I pray you would build the truths of kindness and justice in my heart and life. That these would not merely be teaching points for a message. Guide me as I guide Pulpit Rock to become a church that does the word. Also, give me patience with my kids to speak kindness to them. Amen.