You get thirsty. You reach for get a glass then proceed to pour your favorite drink into it. Because, what you pour in is what you get out.
The same coud be said of not only our physical lives but also more importantly our spiritual lives. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34-35, "...For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." A glass can only spill what it contains. What will come out of you?
I am doing devotionals for "Justice Week" for our IJM campus chapter in 2 weeks. I am apart of my school's IJM campus chapter. IJM is a Christian organization that is dedicated to help stop human trafficking. There are 27 million people who are victims of Human Trafficking. People are who are enslaved are sometimes forced to work in sweatshops or as prostitues even though they don't want to do these things. For more information on the organization go to www.ijm.org.
God is gracious and loving. But He is also just. This is evident all throughout Scripture. In the Bible, the words: justice, injustice, or oppression appear over 200 times! 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all of Scripture is inspired by God. Did you catch that? The Bible is God's Word! Therefore, since God is talking about justice hundreds of times, it is an important issue to God. No really, Isaiah 61: 8 says "For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity." Most notably evident examples of God's heart for justice is found in the books of the prophets like Isaiah.
In Isaiah 1, Judah is being judged for their sins. In verse 4 of chapter 1, Judah is called "A sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity...." Later on in verse 10, they are likened to Sodom and Gomorrah. As you well know, Sodom and Gomorrah was judged and devasted for their sins. One of Judah's transgressions was that they failed to carry out justice and stand up for the oppressed. As a consequence for their actions, God did accept their sacrifices and listen to their prayers. In verses 11& 15 of chapter 1 we read
11 "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls,or of lambs, or of goats.
15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.
God wants his people to be fully devoted to him and his commandments. In the following verses we see this
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
Today, we live in sad era where 27 million people are forced into slavery. Especially, as Christians should have a zeal for justice and stand up for the oppressed like those who are victims of human trafficking.
Sorry, its been awhile. Survived midterms :)! I am doing well.
Oh, some randome stuff I learned...
Bible reading. Often times, we read the Bible, but don't dig down deep and let it sink in. We should try our best to understand the context of what is going on to get a deeper appreciation of what's happening.
When you drink tea, you want to let it seep in. What happens if you don't? You won't get the full flavor. Likewise, when we read the Bible quickly and don't focus on what's being said and the deeper meaning, we won't get anything out of it.
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