Isaiah 61:8 says  “For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.”

There are two sides to everything.  God—played by George Burns in the “Oh God” movie trilogy series of long ago once said:  “In order to have good you have to have the bad….to have a top you have to have a bottom, and outside to have an inside…that’s just the way it is, kid…” (or, something close to that wording)

A coin – has two sides; in the court system – it has either acquittal or conviction; in our personal decision making – in its simplest form – it should be yes or no [see Matthew 5:37].  (Yep—there’s always an occasional “wait” or “silence” or “maybe,” which tends to stretch out the decision-making process)

We have a country questioning the validity, value, and effectiveness of our justice and law enforcement systems; we have been rocked constantly with stats that point to our lack of respect of our environment, which, most of us will leave as a sad legacy to our children and their children (if we do not act); we are shocked because of a particular national icon of entertainment and education who has been accused of allegedly abusing women with drugs and unwanted sexual advances; we are now aware that other countries have infiltrated our country and have plans to attack sensitive locations that might well create an implosion of America (if we ever act on threats of attacking their country); people are walking away from “organized religion” because of a number of issues – some that may well be merited, but most is because of an individualism that has arisen in America that (bottom line) has caused main-line denominations to have to cut vital ministries and highly-needed charitable missions.

Responses to these issues have been varied.  Sides are taken (remember, there’s always two of them) on every concern.  Some are more drastic than others:  looting, robbing, burning of businesses, peaceful protests, “dead ins,” entering into public events with arms raised, and blocking interstates.  My hope is potential physical pain, and worse, will not occur in these instances of taking stands, one side or the otherl

Short of quoting from the old movie, “Network,” (1976) by shouting “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” and flinging our TV sets out of our windows, what is a Christian to do?

Isaiah 61 gives us a vision from which to work.  First and foremost, God IS in charge of all that matters.  Bad things happen and good things happen – not because of God, necessarily, but usually because of the fickle manner of humanity (go all the way back to Genesis 3).  God is the only righteous Judge – He is the one who will bring reparation, compensation, and remuneration for all things:  all things that relate to living now and in eternity.  But – we were given charge of this place we call earth, and if you read carefully above, we’re not doing such a great job.

In the end, God will solve all the problems.  Heaven is the catch-all answer, of course.  But what do we do “in the meantime?”

And – it is a mean time, isn’t it?  What kind of future are we laying out for our children and grandchildren?

Going on 61 now, I am seriously concerned for our world.  But – that stems from my loss in my personal trust in God, so, I must change that immediately. (This happens to all of us!)  I am Thomas – with more questions than answers; I am Peter, who falls many times when I have the chance to stand up for God and good; I am Judas – turning my back of God because of my own personal agendas – right, wrong, or indifferent.

In Isaiah’s quoting of God and His words, He still makes an everlasting covenant with me, with us, with ALL.  With everything going on in the world – from our favorite comedians falling from grace and our government who can’t seem to agree on anything anymore – God STILL wants to be our Father and we His children.  We fail time and time again and He still wants us.  When that happens between friends, many times we no longer remain friends.  God is good.  He is just.  He is patient, kind, and fair.

Seek God’s justice.  This Advent, pray for HIS discernment, HIS guidance.  Put away all malice, judgment, and prejudice.  Look to God through prayer and the reading of His Book.  (His Instruction Manual is actually very good—a best seller ever since a best-seller list was published.)

In this time of busy, bustling days, pause – be still and know that HE is God.  He whispers these days in the winds of change.  Are we a part of it, or do we turn our hearts and minds away from it?  You are the one who decides the answer to that question.  There is peace in the world.  This month—these days before CHRISTmas—let’s find it together.

Please pray and read with me…God will show the way. (Maybe start with Matthew 1 and Luke 1..we’ll read Luke 2 soon enough!)

God loves you and so do we!

Pastor Jim