Acceptable part 2: Seeking Justice

My thoughts on justice for much of my life revolved around whether someone was punished for committing crimes against another, making sure the “scales of justice” were balanced. It focused on crimes such as burglary, murder, rape, kidnapping, etc. and it sometimes focused on crimes that leaders of nations allowed or ordered to be done to innocent civilians in their own or other countries. The idea of social justice never really entered my mind. Social justice has to do with the welfare of others, essentially human rights, a view (in my understanding) that all people come into the world equal, a thought that is basic and crucial in even the U.S. constitution. It is the idea that realizing we are all created equal, but also realizing that we are not born into equal environments. It is understanding that some of us have what we need to survive adequately and others do not. It is understanding that some have more than they need and others do not have enough. It is understanding that something should be done about it.
It is so hard to discuss this without going into political thinking because we have tied this into how we perceive governments should be constructed and run. Our country was built in an effort to protect even the most basic of personal freedoms and liberties and even went so far as to write a bill of rights informing each citizen as to what their rights were and letting them know these rights would be protected. Our government did not always follow the protecting of rights fully as we see in what happened with Native Americans as we pushed the boundaries of our country westward which was, they thought was their destiny (if you don’t believe this look up “Manifest Destiny” sometime.) There was the belief that in following our destiny we could do what ever was needed to fulfill our destiny. Also consider slavery, it took way too long to realize how some people’s rights were valued less than others and even when we finally realized that slavery was an not protecting and honoring the rights of every living thing, it took us a while to give every citizen of the U.S. equal opportunities (something that we are still struggling to do). We still have a way to go in realizing that those humans who have not been exposed to air yet deserve the basic liberties, dignities, and protections afforded everyone else. This isn’t intended to be a rip on the USA, because it has had a much better record than most other countries in these matters. It is to be a criticism on the idea that we should leave it to and count on governments for this. There is not a government that is capable of taking care of every need, though there are many that have tried and have ended up creating societies in which not just a few people are poor, but the vast majority of the population minus those who still manage to be driven around in their limousines. Even at their most concentrated efforts, Marxist states still have had those rich people at the top who have built their fortunes at the expense of the millions that they force equality on. Not only will the poor be with us always, but so will the very rich.
It is not the job of governments to seek justice, it is the job of every man, woman, and child. It is especially what those who are the children of God are to be doing. If you want to find a way to get Him to get very upset with you, to the point that he rejects your best efforts to worship, then do nothing. Simply sit there. It doesn’t matter what your ideas of worship consist of. It doesn’t matter if you have your doctrine exactly correct. It also doesn’t matter what you deprive yourself of. If you do not seek justice, it is all in vain. If your mission is not the welfare of others, it is worthless. God’s nature demands the care for others, it demands justice be sought and be carried out. Jesus’ mission was, as found in Luke 4 “to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" and as much as it is possible, it is ours, too. We are, of course, a limited creature and can not have the effect that Jesus had, but there is still much that we can do and at least should try to do. We have been made much more capable of helping others than what we realize, in fact we are designed with the ability to serve and help, more than that we are designed with the intent that we serve, that we look to and meet the needs of those who are without. Paul said in Ephesians 2:10 that as Christians, we are His workmanship, His creation (NLT says masterpiece) created brand new in Christ Jesus to do the work that God has already planned for us to. The thought that i get from this is that we were recreated in Christ as a new creature with the intent that we DO things that He recreated us for. It speaks of a purposeful design. I understand it as God has certain things that He wants done for others, lives He wants touched, and He designs us specifically so that we can do these things and touch these lives. Of course, whether we do them or not is up to us as we have the free will to decide. God equips us, what we do with that equipping is up to us. Paul says in Titus (2:14) that the reason Christ gave Himself for us was to “purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” He wanted a people who did not just do good things but were zealous about doing them, a people passionate for doing good works. Not a group of people who do good things out of a sense of duty or obligation or a fear that if they don’t do them they will not enter Heaven’s Gates. He wants a people whose desire is the Holy desire He had while on earth: take care of those who need taken care of: the weak, the poor, the defenseless, the imprisoned, the abused, the sick, the injured, the dirty, the drunk, the emotionally injured, and the outcast. Help those who can not help themselves, with abandon. Do it because of love. Do it out of a sense of social justice. Do it because they need it. Simply do it. Talk about it if you need to, but don’t let that be an excuse for not being out there. If you need added motivation for working to achieve social justice, try this: “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 ESV) Do it because it will bring glory to God. We should never seek praise for the things that we should be doing anyways. We are not heroes, we are simply (and thankfully) Christians who do what Christians do. It should be as basic a part of our life as brushing our teeth. It should be as natural as picking up a crying baby. If those we help want to praise and thank us our response should be, “Don’t thank me; thank God that he gave me the eyes to see you, the heart to come to you, and the hands to help.” He and He alone gives us the ability to do good works as it is He who equips us. It is He who gives us eyes to see need and He who gives us the heart to act. It is He who brings people in our lives that need help and it is He who surrounds us with people who are well equipped to take care of most needs and who point to God for the meeting of needs that are beyond our ability.
God commands us to seek justice, to seek to bring equality to the world. He wants us look out for others, look for those whose needs are great and find a way to meet them. His desire is that we look for people whose basic human rights are being infringed and work to correct the situation. It is the example that He, Himself, has set.
We should be mindful that worship presented by those who fail to follow the example of God in doing justice “to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more” (Psalm 10:18) will not be accepted. We should not seek justice so that our worship is accepted but realize that without it, our worship won’t be.

Father God, keep me in check, examine me, and may i be found acceptable.
raymond, a child of the King