Triumph Over Injustice
Psalm 112:9 (NIV)
(The righteous) have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.
Psalm 112 reminds us of God’s promises and teaches us what we must work on to be fully surrendered to the lordship of God, to become 'righteous'. As we think about our personal desires, it is important to take stock of the 'seeds' we are planting in our lives for a 'harvest' of righteousness.
How loving, selfless and authentic are we?
'The righteous', in this Psalm are commended for having made good if not easy decisions in life. In the Old Testament, prophets and people had quite a struggle to keep God's commandments - and always failed at some point to be 'righteous'.
For us, living under the New Covenant, Christ's redeeming power has made us eternally 'righteous' in God's sight and following our Saviour Jesus makes life truly worth living. We are not under the judgment of sin - Jesus paid the price for us! If we choose Christ, we are starting afresh, sin has no power over us. The desires of the sinful life no longer make sense: idolatry, arrogance, love of money and any addictive pleasure.
We choose not to sin, not in our own strength, but through his power at work in us. Our calling is to live out the righteousness bestowed so freely on us.
In Jesus, all our legitimate desires to be relevant, to be honoured, to be significant, are fully met. As we worship him, as we sit at his feet, he guides us to be generous, caring for the poor, wounded and oppressed, showing the world God's heart for justice. As we surrender our souls to his loving presence and his transformative power, the way we live our lives will bring transformation to those around us. Our righteousness in Jesus will help make things 'right'.
Prayer - Dear Jesus, help us to channel your love into this world, to impact those around us. Assure us of our relevance in your kingdom, that we do belong to you. We pray your Holy Spirit will fill us again so we can see our purpose clearly, lifting up those around us, breaking injustice and bringing your justice. In Jesus’s name.