God's heart for justice is not something we can ignore, or just respond to with tokenism.
Psalm 51.15-17:
'You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.'
And that's why having my heart broken by the things of this world, being broken before You, is so critical.
Isaiah 1 is more vehement:
"The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?" says the LORD.
"I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your evil assemblies.
Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;
wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,
learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
"Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as cr
If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land[.]'
He is so patient with His people. He wants to reason with us. He knows we are incapable of pleasing Him by ourselves. But Jesus, and His Spirit, have made a way. Do we really trust Him that we will eat the best from the land if we are obedient and seek to lose our lives?
2 Chronicles 16.9:
For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Oh how I long to be fully committed to Him. That means letting go of a lot of things that just aren't worth it. !
Isaiah 58 speaks so powerfully. This passage in particular has grabbed my heart:
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.'
I've realised that I live what I believe. And that if I am not feeding the hungry, if I am not spending myself for them, then I do not believe in justice. I can talk all I like, advocate all I want, I can have meeting after meeting scheming to raise 'awareness'...
But a restlessness has grown in my heart, to the point that I can't bear it anymore. I've realised that intimacy with God isn't in singing to Him - it's being where He is. Amongst the poor and needy. Amongst the oppressed and neglected.
Like, I love worshiping Him in song! Singing His praises is a wonderful thing!
But when there's a disconnect between who I'm singing He is, and how I'm living in response to that, I feel discontent. And rightly so!
I love this about Passion:
'Together, we can make a massive difference in the lives of people around the globe in Jesus' name.
That's the heartbeat behind Passion Conferences and our Do Something Now Campaign, a movement that to date has funneled close to two million dollars to those in greatest need throughout the world. At the core of it all is a desire to wed worship and justice, believing that what God wants most is not just another song, but a reflection of His love and mercy among the poor, the imprisoned, the voiceless and the oppressed.
As a result, no Passion gathering will simply be an event you attend. Rather, together we want to shift into action as we partner with amazing causes throughout the world. While it's true that none of us can meet the needs alone, it's also true that united we can do something exceptional for His fame.'
The incredible thing about Passion, was that it wasn't just talking about how we should be for justice in the world; it was hearing who God is, what He is doing, and what He wants for His people, and responding to that right there and then.
It's about not being content with living 'balanced' lives that respond to extravagant, INSANE love and grace with going to church and giving a bit of cash here and there. It's about living and breathing the reality that Jesus is Lord over all things, that He gave the best of Himself to us, and that He owns everything in the universe, and that I should leverage ALL that has been given to me to chase after His heart.
It's about exchanging the little things for the ENORMOUS things. It's about actually believing that God is who He says He is, and trusting Him with ALL that I have.
It's about living lives that step out in faith daily, and say, 'God, I desperately need You to come through for me right now!'
It's about expecting Him to do crazy things. It's about not merely straddling the beam, not clinging to security and comfort.
It's about actually living out this grace thing by loving RADICALLY - to the point where it hurts.
The thing is, though, that Jesus says it's more blessed to give than to receive (acts 20.35). We are simply stewards of the things we have. If I've been entrusted with money, with time, with an intellect... how am I leveraging those things for HIS Kingdom?
I ought to have faith that He knows what I need, and He will provide. That by grasping onto the things I have, those things have ownership over me. It's bondage. By giving joyfully and freely, I am freed from them, and experience the joy of seeing God come through for me in real ways!
I want to live a life of faith.
And I've been so convicted by this passage:
Hebrews 11.6 'And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.'
I want to stop clinging to this life. I want to love recklessly, by giving all.
I can't. But You can.
In the local church, what does this look like?
1. Caring for the homeless. Whether that be making meals for them, donating socks, towels, toiletries for them, hanging out with them and loving them, advocating for them in court...
2. Acting for justice. Whether that be sex trafficking, child soldiers, providing clean water, we need to be active in our pursuit of justice.
3. Company for the sick and lonely. Nursing homes. Cooking meals for those who can't.
Lord, show us where You would have us move. For Your name's sake.
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