Kingdom Building

July 10, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 82

God has taken his place in the divine council;
   in the midst of the gods he holds judgement:
‘How long will you judge unjustly
   and show partiality to the wicked?
          Selah
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
   maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;   deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’ –Psalm 82:1-4

I am known for saying that my mother was a true egalitarian—no one person is greater than another- and that shaped my life. I had to eventually decide whether I agreed with that viewpoint or not. I do.

I was called on once to give expert testimony in court regarding a 13-year-old being tried for auto theft where the prosecution wanted to process him as an adult. The question put to me was did he know right from wrong. His father was a notorious car thief having spent time in prison for grand theft auto. My answer was no he did not know the difference, he was following in the family business. Part of becoming an adult is learning the difference between right and wrong and incorporating God’s rightness into our lives. I do not know if the 13-year-old’s days in juvenile detention helped him learn the difference between right and wrong or not.

In the same manner we grow in faith maturity as we ferret out the things that are of God and those that are not. It really does not matter what the world thinks or what others think or what we might have learned in childhood, God is who ultimately judges our judgement.

God calls us to do justice and whatever we may have learned in the past to make exceptions to that we must purge from our lives as we strive to answer that call.

Prayer: Lord, it is a great challenge for those of us who have lived in privilege to see the parts of our lives that may not be in sync with your righteousness. Open our hearts and minds to identify anything in our lives that is limiting any other person from being treated justly. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.