“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8 (ESV)

There is much conversation about justice right now in our world - and for good reason. I don’t think I need to convince anyone that our world is broken. One of the many burdens on my heart is to ask the question: what is justice and who gets to define it? The above verse above sounds nice and fits well on our walls and social media pages in times like these, but it is often used to push any definition of justice that seems to fit the current cultural moment.

Let me be clear, I see the sin of racism* in our country and it is a wicked sin that should continue to be exposed and eradicated. It is a sin that God hates and therefore we are to hate. Sadly, it does still exist in our world and it is a good and right thing to protest against it, call for just political reforms, speak for those who are oppressed (Proverbs 31:8-9), etc. As many other people have already said, “It’s not a skin problem, it’s a sin problem.” We should not be able to stand by as other image-bearers of God have been murdered, treated unjustly, and oppressed for so long. I have no reservations about any of that.

What I’m trying to ask is “what is justice?”

I believe that God is the supreme ruler of the Universe. He is not only the source of Truth; He is Truth (John 14:6). Therefore, He is the only One with the authority to define justice. All other definitions will not only fall short but will ultimately result in injustice.

In the original languages of Scripture, the words righteousness and justice are the same word - there is no distinction. That means that in order to correctly define justice, we must also correctly define righteousness. God has not only given us a definition of righteousness but, through Christ, gave us Himself as the perfect example of righteousness. Even more than that, for those who repent from their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ, the righteousness of Christ is imputed** to us and becomes our righteousness. We, who were justly deserving of the eternal wrath of God, have now been brought near to God by the shed blood of Jesus Christ because God satisfied his wrath and justice by pouring it out on Jesus Christ in our place.

And not only have we been freed from the slavery of sin, but we have been united in perfect harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). This is the Gospel and this is the hope for the world.

As we “mourn with those who mourn and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), let us always remember that the only One who will turn our sorrow into joy is Jesus Christ. It is a good and right thing to pursue reforms and changes in law and our justice system - so long as they align with God’s Word and His definition of justice. But as long as we are seeking to change the hearts of men, our only weapon is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He calls His people to live justly in the world - reflecting His character - but that can only happen as the Holy Spirit of God regenerates the hearts of men and women and conforms us to the image of Christ.

Our mission in this world as followers of Jesus has always remained the same:

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)

Make disciples and as you do that, teach them to observe all that God has commanded us - such as how to live justly in this world and to pursue justice in the places we live. This does not diminish the call to stand up to injustices such as racism - it shows us that The Gospel is the only hope for men and women to be reconciled to God and to have their hearts transformed to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God” (Micah 6:8).

In his book “Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian”, John Piper states:

“The gospel of Christ conquers our hearts and brings us to repentance and faith in Christ. Christ enters our lives and dwells within us. All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to him. He commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him (Mk. 1:27). Therefore, into the racial situation, the gospel brings the only power that can set people free from the bondage of the Devil. The Devil gives way to no other power than the power of Christ. And the power of Christ moves in the world through those who have believed the gospel and are indwelt by the Spirit of Christ.”

We are commanded by God’s Law to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) but are incapable of such love apart from the redemptive work of Jesus Christ to make us a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

This isn’t a call to stick our heads in the sand concerning sins and injustices such as racism in our world, it’s a call to remember that the transformation and justice we seek can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us continue to expose the works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11) and shine the light of the Gospel for the salvation of men and women.

* A friend sent me what I think is a pretty good and helpful definition of racism: “Idolatrous self-love that allows for hatred against your neighbor because they don’t look like you.”

**taken from Biblestudytools.com - is used to designate any action or word or thing as reckoned to a person. Thus in doctrinal language (1) the sin of Adam is imputed to all his descendants, i.e., it is reckoned as theirs, and they are dealt with therefore as guilty; (2) the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them that believe in him, or so attributed to them as to be considered their own; and (3) our sins are imputed to Christ, i.e., he assumed our "law-place," undertook to answer the demands of justice for our sins. In all these cases the nature of imputation is the same ( Romans 5:12-19 ; Compare Philemon 1:18 Philemon 1:19 ).

by: Nate O’Brien

John Piper, during his fight against cancer, wrote a book entitled “Don’t Waste Your Cancer.” In it, he prayed that he would not waste the pain of his cancer by missing God’s good plan for him and hope-filled path for making much of Christ. To (possibly) a much lesser extent, I don’t want us to waste our quarantine. I want us to see God’s good plan for us and how we can make much of our Savior through times such as this. During the last several weeks, I have been helped by hearing from other brothers and sisters in Christ about lessons learned during quarantine. One of the themes of the responses I have heard again and again is that they have become more aware of their idols. I have heard the word “idol” defined several ways. I think my favorite so far is the description that God Himself gave in Jeremiah 2.  Although written immediately to Israel (as they had quite literally begun to worship false gods instead of Him), His words hold true today for all believers even in Jacksonville Florida during a quarantine. In these verses, we read: 

“Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Jeremiah 2:11-13 (ESV)

Let’s work through this passage together and discover the full description given to us by God, the various idols we might be wrestling with, and what to do about them. 

Idols “are no gods”
There is only one God in all of existence. That one God is the God of the Bible (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:11, 44:6; Mark 12:29; James 2:19, etc.). He is the source of every good thing (James 1:17).  He alone can satisfy us - mind, body, and soul.  Idols are not Him by definition. They are substitutes for Him. They are anything that we elevate in importance up and over our God. We are commanded to love our Lord with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27, etc.). We are commanded to love Him with our whole self. We love Him, cherish Him, think about Him, and exhaust ourselves pursuing Him. Instead, we love, cherish, ponder, and work hard for many other objects of our affection and focus (i.e., people, places, things, hobbies, peace and quiet, food, etc.). Anything we turn to for satisfaction rather than Him, is an idol. Since He alone is the source of everything we need, the idols (which we perceive as little sources of those same things) are nothing.  They are paper tigers, so to speak. They have the appearance of something but none of its substance.

Idols “(do) not profit”
In Christ, we receive a glory that should belong only to God (John 17:5). We have an inheritance fit for the King of Kings (Ephesians 1:12), yet we turn away from that glory and act as if we are not children of the One God when we begin to go after idols. Idols are nothing.  They ultimately cannot satisfy us.  They are bloated with the false and empty promises with which we have stuffed them. God uses the picture of a comparison of a fountain and a cistern to demonstrate the deceiving nature of idols. A cistern was a massive pool carved out of rock and lined with masonry and cement. They could be as large as an acre of land in the time of Jeremiah. Given that machinery did not exist then as it does now, they involved great amounts of labor to construct. Their purpose was to collect and house clean water from the rains that fell. God would be, in this illustration, not a cistern but an ever gushing fountain of the purest spring water. A thousand weary travelers could always depend on such a fountain to have an unending amount of satisfying and refreshing water. By comparison, idols are not even good cisterns. They are “broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Instead of going to the source of living water, we can often insist on heading over to the broken cistern to look for a drink. Broken cisterns have no water. They are bone dry and yet we go again and again to them instead of Him. 

Idol Worshipers Commit “two evils”
God informed us in Jeremiah that, in our worshiping of idols, we have committed two evils. We have (1) “forsaken (God)” and (2) “hewed out cisterns for (ourselves).” We have abandoned the Fountain of Living Water and, in that moment that we set ourselves on that idol, renounced the God who loves us.  What a horrible thought. God calls out to the heavens and commands them to do three things.  He tells them to “be appalled…, be shocked, and be utterly desolate…” He commands all of creation to mirror His revulsion at such sin. Worshiping other “gods” is appalling. We don’t often think of our sin as disgusting and revolting, but it is to a perfectly Holy God. The fact that we would turn away from such a God should shock the rational mind. Those looking on such folly should be unconsolable in their horror and sadness. As if that were not enough, we commit another evil by trying to be God ourselves.  Although not immediately apparent, this text is stating that we are attempting to be gods. We are trying to create for ourselves what God alone is (the source of Living Water – of all things good, satisfying, wonderful, etc.). We are trying to be the little gods who create and control God.

Idols Can Be Detected
Now that we know what an idol is, we can begin to detect the idols we have. When we see a red light on the dashboard of our car, we know that it is a signal from our car to us that we have an issue that needs addressing. In Galatians 5:19-21, we are given some of the red lights (or “works of the flesh”) that we can be on the lookout for indicating that we have an issue under the hood of our hearts. Even though idolatry is also mentioned in this list, the root of all “works of the flesh” is idolatry. We read that “fits of anger” is a work of the flesh. Thinking back through our recent time at home, to what have we responded with “fits of anger?” For example, let’s say that I remember when, being on an important phone call, I erupted in anger at my children for being too loud. In that moment I forsook God and went to a peaceful and quiet phone call for my source of comfort when God alone is my comfort. The unrighteousness anger was the red light and the type of call I wanted to have was my idol. While this practice can take prayer and effort to grow in, it is essential for us to undergo to grow in the image of Christ. 

Idols Can Be Smashed
Let’s say that, while reading this, you have learned more about what idols are as well as how horrible your idols are. I have Good News for you. Your idols can be smashed to pieces. Back in the time of Jeremiah, God’s people build statues to worship instead of Him.  When they admitted their sin and confessed it, they typically smashed the idols to dust to show both their sorrow and dedication to God.  In a sense, we can do the same. Once we have identified idols in our lives, our great goal is to smash them to bits.  We can do this by:

1. Praying to God to show you your idols. It is only through a work of God that we can see them as our still sinful hearts love them and we will be blind to them at times. God might use His word, fellow believers, a spouse, and/or a friend or even child to point them out to us. 

2. Pay attention to your reactions. Whenever you can recognize that you have demonstrated a sinful response (check against Galatians 5, 1 Corinthians 15, etc.), seek to identify your idol. It has been helpful to me to write out the following and fill in the blanks as I go, “I forsook God in my __________ and went to ____________ for my source of ____________.”

3. Once idols are recognized, confess them to God.  Repent from them (turn in disgust away from them). Pray that God will grant you the gift of being appalled, shocked, and made utterly desolate by your idols. Put them off. Put on God as your source of ___________ (using the example above as your source of “comfort”).

4. See how wonderful His Good News is for you. Although He is rightly appalled, shocked, disgusted, desolate, and greatly angered by your sins, He has saved you. He sent His Son Jesus to take your place and pay the hell you deserve for your creation and worship of all of your idols (past, present, and future) by His death and resurrection. By meditating on the Gospel, your faith will grow.

5. Rinse and repeat. Unfortunately, our hearts produce idols at an alarming amount, at an alarming rate, and over and over again. We will have to break the same ones over and over. Do not be disheartened. Jesus promised us that He will make us more like Him (Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 1:6). The amount will go down. The rate will decrease. The repetition will gradually cease. Although we will not be sinless in this life, we will see slow improvements. 

Brothers and sisters, let us not waste precious times such as these. Even our sufferings, trials, and tribulations are good gifts from God that can be counted as JOY (James 1:2 [through verse 18]). One song that has helped me in my thinking through my own idols has been “Clear the Stage” by Jimmy Needham (referenced by Pastor Kenny in a recent sermon). I have included the link so that you can play it as you pray and begin to attack the idols of your hearts. 

 Father, we come before you in the name of your Son Jesus. We confess that we have often forsook you and created other gods in your place. We repent of them. We plead with you to show us our idols, to search our hearts, and especially bring to light those dark sins that we have hidden from ourselves. Grow our faith in you as we meditate on the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us, strengthen us, and empower us to smash the idols we have built up in our hearts that take from you our hearts, minds, soul, and strength. Help us so that we might help our brothers and sisters in Christ. Please be with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world that have it so much worse than we do. Have mercy on us and allow us to gather together again in person to worship you. Help us to never take that for granted again. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Song for Meditation: https://youtu.be/6smGew7dGto

You know what I’ve wanted to ask God in all this craziness our world is in? Has someone been praying for patience? Maybe you’ve heard the old adage that suggests if you pray for patience God will send a trial for you to exercise patience. The implication is that the only way you’ll ever learn to be patient is if you are tested. Certainly, I believe that our patience grows in suffering along with our character (Romans 5:3-5), but patience is also given here as a fruit of the Spirit - available to all who are walking in the Spirit.

Patience here carries the idea of long-suffering. I like John MacArthur’s definition: “the calm willingness to accept situations that are irritating or painful.” I don’t think it’s a coincidence that patience comes immediately after peace in this list. It is the peace of God that rules our hearts and allows us to patiently endure whatever may come our way.

This is not a “grit your teeth and bear it” kind of patience either. It is a patience that rests firmly in the promises and power of God. A patience that understands I can rest my head at night knowing my God never rests His head. It’s a patience that endures persecution because “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 & Deuteronomy 32:35). It’s a patience that doesn’t allow us to sit on our hands, but to continue working for the Lord all the while trusting that His purposes will prevail.

But I also believe the patience that the Spirit works in us is for the small moments as well. When we are walking in the Spirit, we won’t respond to our children out of anger and frustration, but patience and love. When you’re tired of looking at the walls of your house and just want to know when this will all be over, The Spirit enables you to find joy and not lose your patience when you have every reason to. It’s also the ability to be patient with yourself and the process of sanctification that God is working in you. To not give up on pursuing Jesus because you’ve hit a rough spot or a dry season spiritually.

When you’re walking by the Spirit and not by the flesh, He works patience in you and I believe we all could use a little more patience. So pray for patience - God may test you, but He will also supernaturally enable you by the Holy Spirit to exercise patience when the testing comes.

by: Dave Harkey

As we deal with the stresses of life, especially life as we are experiencing it now, I find myself in some sort of prayer more often. Prayer is how we communicate with God, it how we get close to Him and share our hearts and our lives with Him in a more deliberate manner – and right now it seems I have a lot to say to Him (don’t we all right now?). I have to wonder sometimes if God is using these times to draw us closer to Him? While I don’t think this pandemic is good, I do think He is using it for good (good ole Romans 8:28 - maybe a blog for another day).

All this prayer time has me thinking about Ephesians 6:18. Paul tells us here to pray at all times. ALL TIMES?! How are we supposed to do this? Certainly, we cannot be on our knees 24/7. What does this look like? And in the Spirit? HUH?

We think tend to think of prayer of this sacred time where we shut everything out and focus on God; talking to Him and listening to Him. While I think we should do this on a daily basis, we also need to understand that this is not the only way we can pray. Here are some practical ways to pray at all times and in the Spirit:

• Listen to the nudgings you get from God, the Spirit. When they come, say a quick prayer when they come to you. Prayer does not have to be all flowery and full of words. One sentence works – He knows your heart – it doesn’t even have to be proper grammar. “God – insert word hear – please, thank you” works. The Holy Spirit will do the rest (Romans 8:26-27)

• Act on the nudgings you get from God, the Spirit. Notice when he gives you direction that seems to come out of nowhere. If He tells you to give the guy at the exit a dollar, just do it. Don’t debate it and wonder what the guy is going to use it for. Likewise, if he tells you to turn away, do that too.

• Live your life as if it is a prayer – as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Try to please Him in all you do. Honor Him in all you do and in your lifestyle. It is the ultimate form of worship.

• Don’t discount those short little prayers – “God Help Me”, “Thank You God”, “Lord, give me strength” They are powerful. They help you stay focused on God and to acknowledge Him in your life.

• Use words you understand – keep it simple (1 Cor 14:15). I used to think that I had to use the big religious words and long prayers. I thank God that he taught me that simple is good – it was freeing.

• Sing – even if it’s in your head. I love music, it is good for my soul and helps me express those things I cannot put into words on my own (Psalm 96:1, Psalm 47:6)

During these times, there is nothing more comforting to me than to be in God’s presence and to draw strength from him in all things I do and all things I deal with. These days can be overwhelming; so, I pray.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere”
Ephesians 6:18

by: Erin Bradley

Over the last several weeks, Heath and I have both noticed a subtle unwinding beginning to take place. Our family, like most, is constantly in motion, always moving towards goals set on the horizon.  It is not that we have found ourselves with fewer responsibilities if anything we are learning new processes that have come with sudden change. However, it feels like much of the unnecessary has vanished. Unnecessary anxieties, unnecessary hurry, unnecessary yeses, that to be completely transparent most often manifest in fear, anger, and exhaustion, not love, peace and joy.

Heath has been home for a solid month without interruption. In the 14 years I’ve known him, we have never been under one roof that long together. It has been amazing. Sure, our kids have fought and have had meltdowns, we all have, but I’ve noticed something… it is not just Heath and I unwinding, the kids are too. We have laughed and played together. We have worked, done chores, cooked, gone on bike rides, painted, argued, prayed, talked and heard one another, cried and done absolutely nothing all as a family.

I have heard and read several news stories and articles encouraging people to grieve the loss of societal “norms,” and accept that things are different. I get what they are saying, but what if we have completely missed something in our hurried lives? What if this “slowed down, nowhere to go that is more important” state of being is the “normal” we should be striving for?

Current world circumstances are forcing a slowing down in our lives to maintain health and reduce infection rates. While acknowledging the seriousness of our present plight, I find my heart asking if many of us have not already been afflicted with a much more devastating disease, the disease of self. Some of the symptoms are fear, anxiety, complacency, distraction, exhaustion, pressure and anger. This disease is slow working, making its way into every area of our lives. It devastates relationships, tears families apart and leaves our lives broken and empty.

In some ways this time of seclusion has felt like the gentle exposure of our hearts, revealing the true state of our lives. We have spent countless months stressed out and exhausted, constantly feeling like maybe we are just spinning our wheels, but as the have days passed, and peace and rest have filled our house and family, I have been reminded each morning of Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG),

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Our reality is we have taken on burdens that we were not meant to bear; our Truth is that His burden is easy, and His yoke is light.

Today and in the days to come, whatever this unwinding is, we are in until the end.