Impact

Great Expectations (Part 1) Promote Justice

Have you been confused about someone’s expectations for you? Maybe a boss, a parent or even a spouse have placed unrealistic expectations on your relationship with them. This happens all the time and keeps us from enjoying our relationships to the fullest. Marriage is a great example of how differing expectations can cause disunity and confusion.

Have you been confused about someone’s expectations for you? Maybe a boss, a parent or even a spouse have placed unrealistic expectations on your relationship with them. This happens all the time and keeps us from enjoying our relationships to the fullest. Marriage is a great example of how differing expectations can cause disunity and confusion. I believe the same is true with our relationship with God.

When expectations are clear we know who and what we are to be and our relationships are less likely to experience conflict and frustrations. We also have the best opportunity to succeed and experience life change. In Micah chapter 6 verse 8 God gives us very clear expectations.

He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God.

I like how God makes his lists his expectations of us in this passage. The first thing that the Lord really wants from you is to “promote justice”.

Promote justice. Throughout scripture you can see that the heart of God is broken over injustice. You and I are created in his image and therefore we naturally hate injustice but we are also sinful people who will inflict injustice when our sin nature takes over. I have watched parents defend the poor behavior of their child then demand that another child be punished for the same offense. We are conflicted people and without the Holy Spirit and the word of God working through us we will be people of injustice. So how do I promote justice?
1. Get to know the God of perfect justice. God demanded a payment for sin and sent his son to the cross. God is a person of justice. He cannot ignore sin but chooses grace when dealing with it. We need to know that God has made payment for our sin and that in the future will enact justice on those that refuse his offer of grace and forgiveness. In the Old Testament it can clearly be seen that God’s angered seared against those who oppressed the poor and neglected the orphans and widows. Knowing him more will give us the wisdom that we need each day to make just decisions.

2. Don’t hide when you see in justice in the world. Sometimes we are over whelmed by the injustice we see all around and since we are powerless to act we ignore it. We see racial, gender, economic and religious injustice everyday and we should engage it as God would want us too. Let it break your heart and pray for those experiencing injustice.

3. Where you can have an impact, promote God’s justice! We are all leaders and influencers somewhere in our lives. We need to use every opportunity given to us to teach about justice and step up and into situations that need to be corrected. Get involved and realize that the body of Christ is the most powerful group of people on the earth because we are indwelt with God’s Holy Spirit. When we see injustice we should have answers and actions that are consistent with the heart of God.
Next look for part 2…. “to be faithful”.