Journal Entry ~ 11/10/17

40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; 41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.  - Psalm 107:40-41

This section of Psalm 107 reminds us that we love a just God. He will right the wrongs of this world. He will humble those who live proudly, and He will raise up those who live for Him. It may not always feel that way in our day-to-day life, but we are reminded here that our God is a just God and in His perfect timing, things will be righted. 

So what does it mean that our God is a just God? It means that He is fair and impartial in all things, at all times. The Bible shows us over and over that God despises poor treatment and oppression of people.  He hates lying, cheating, prideful, judgmental behavior, and any other forms of mistreatment of others. He sees well past our outward actions and knows the motives of our heart.  He can and He does judge right from wrong, and He will hand out His judgment according to His will. 

It can be uncomfortable for us to dwell too long on the fact that our God is a just God, most of us find it way easier to meditate on the fact that our God is a loving God who wants to give us the desires of our hearts. I think one of the reasons many of us shy away from thinking of God as a just God is because we have such poor examples of justice being carried out here in Earth. There are countless examples of people of power carrying out justice in unfair or unkind ways, from politicians to police officers, from teachers to parents. Some are corrupt, and some have the best of intentions but still make mistakes - either way, judges leave a bad taste in our mouths. We don’t like to be judged, nor do we like our loved ones to be judged. We all have examples in our lives where we were unfairly judged. There is little that can cause our defenses to rise up like an unfair judgment of ourselves or our loved ones. Our response can be unkind and ungodly. The unfortunate reality is in most of those circumstances, there is some element of truth in what the judges had to say, and our defense mechanisms blind us to hear the truth...but that's a lesson for another time. All of those negative feelings of judgment pile up on us and they impact our ability to see God as a fair judge. It’s uncomfortable. But if we don’t spend time here in this uncomfortable place, the fact that He is a loving God will have little meaning in our lives. I read a great quote yesterday - It’s hard to grow your faith inside your comfort zone.  There is truth in those words, so let’s allow God to take our meditations this week to the fact that He is a just God who will hand out judgment in our lives as He sees necessary. 

The fact that God is just should bring us feelings of assurance that all things wrong with this world will be made right on His timing. He will administer justice perfectly - He cannot do it any other way. He alone is able to discern truth in every situation and see into the hearts and minds of all people. He alone has the wisdom and the power to establish right from wrong, and He alone has the moral character to carry out a plan to administer justice. He knows when you have been wrongly accused and He promises to make it right, but He also knows when you have been wrong and He will make it right. These verses in Psalm 107 remind of us this truth.

Our God so deeply cares about the difference between right and wrong, and so deeply desires for humans to act in a just way toward one another that He is worthy of our love and our trust. We can love Him and trust in in all circumstance because we know that He is sovereign over all things and He alone is able to bring about justice. But we cannot forget that because He is an all knowing and just God, we will not only be accountable for our actions, but also for our thoughts and words. 

It’s important to note that if you are a believer in Christ, you have already been forgiven for all sins you have and will commit. Your slate is forever clean once you confess and repent your sins to God and surrender your life to Jesus. You do not need to live in shame or with the guilt of committed sins in front of our just God. He does not see them, He only sees His Son in you. When we stand before Him on Judgment Day, it is not our sins that He will see.  There are many places in scripture that point to the fact that He will be judging our work for the Kingdom on Judgment Day - The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 is one example.  How has the Spirit worked in you in your life to further the Kingdom?  

I have so many more thoughts rolling around in my head this morning, but this entry has become long, so I will end it with these last personally reflective thoughts: I am appreciative of the time God has given me to reflect on my life and it’s purpose in this diagnosis. When I stand before my God, what will He say?  I can point to much in my life that will bring judgment - not my forgiven sin, but so much of my life dedicated to earthly desires and accomplishment with less being devoted to Him. I want to hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” when my life comes to an end. I’m thankful for the interruption to my life that this diagnosis has provided so that I have the time to reflect and make changes that will honor Him. 

Press on ~ you are loved 💗

Many of you know I have been trying to raise money to replace the uncomfortable caregiver's chairs in the infusion center at Illinois Cancer Specialists.  It is important to me that our caregivers are able to sit comfortably for hours while we receive our chemo treatments ~ we need our caregivers to be at their best so they can care for us at our worst.  Please consider donating ~ every little bit helps!  Here is the link:

 https://www.gofundme.com/chair4caregivers.  Thank you so much!!