What does God love? According to Psalm 33:5, the answer is righteousness and justice:
The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
Psalm 33:5
God doesn’t play favorites. He is no respecter of persons. He doesn’t treat the rich better than the poor (or the poor better than the rich). He is not impressed by designer labels or false humility. He is colorblind.
And I’m convinced He delights when we do the same.
If we are being transformed into the image of Christ, then what He loves, we should love.
To love righteousness and justice means to celebrate fairness, to be happy when morality is exercised.
As I think on righteousness and justice, they also sound a bit harsh … even legalistic. They suggest an unattainable standard. They convict me, as they highlight my own lacking – in my sinfulness, I love righteousness and justice when criminals are punished, but when I consider my own sin, I’m eager to read the rest of the verse! – to be reminded of God’s unfailing love.
Righteousness and justice bring a standard of perfection we could never meet. They clash with God’s unfailing love and mercy. But in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s righteousness and justice are both satisfied, as He extends love and mercy.
As I think about His character, I picture parallel train tracks – His justice and righteousness running alongside His unfailing love and mercy. Both must be embraced to understand God’s eternal nature and character.
Have you ever focused on train tracks as they travel to the horizon? At that point they seem to meet and become one. That point on the spiritual horizon is the cross of Christ.
Righteousness and justice satisfied by unfailing love and mercy. Certainly, an oxymoron from a human viewpoint. But our great God is not limited by finite views or understandings. His unfailing love is almost illogical, from our human perspective.
Do you love justice and righteousness? Are you grateful for God’s unfailing love? Are you celebrating today the cross of Christ, where both come together to make eternal life possible in days to come, while spurring us on to live victoriously in the here and now?
If so, ask yourself how your choices demonstrate you love what God loves.
How are you and I claiming, experiencing, and releasing His unfailing love?
This week’s teaching video from II Kings is now available on our YouTube channel. In II Kings, chapters 6 and 7, Elisha’s servant awakened early and found the city completely surrounded by the enemy. He cried out, “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” We hope you’ll take time today to watch as Laura discusses Elisha’s prayerful response to his servant and God’s answer to them:
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A prior version of this post by Laura was published on
AReasonForHomeschool.com
