“Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.”
– Psalm 97:2

Christians in America often seem to view righteousness and justice as an either/or proposition. Some Christians are very focused on righteousness (holiness and right behavior aligned with God’s standard) but are largely unconcerned about seeking and promoting justice for all persons, regardless of race, ethnicity, social status, or financial standing. We zealously proclaim and pursue God’s standards for ourselves and others, while remaining blind to the plight of those around us.

Other Christians are very focused on issues of justice while neglecting to defend and pursue God’s good design for human flourishing. An admirable devotion to justice is accompanied with minimal concern for personal holiness or the proclamation of the good news of forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus Christ. The seriousness of sin is ignored or downplayed.

Both approaches are inadequate in followers of Jesus! Righteousness AND justice are the foundation of God’s throne. He is perfectly righteous AND perfectly just and so every Christian should care deeply about both. He is absolutely committed to pure holiness AND deeply concerned for the just treatment of the most vulnerable among us.

As followers of Jesus we must learn to be zealous for both righteousness and justice. We must also prepare ourselves to be disliked and attacked by Christians and non-Christians alike if we actively pursue both in our lives and in the world. That’s okay, for we must live to serve and please only the One Who is both righteous and just

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” – James 3:17

Here’s an incredibly valuable tool for our age of outrage and information overload. If the ”wisdom” you’re reading, hearing, speaking, tweeting, re-posting, liking, or sharing isn’t all these things, it isn’t from God. Period.

Ask yourself before letting opinion and interpretation soak into your soul or come out of your mouth/fingertips:

• Is this pure (meaning holy)?
• Is it peace-loving or does it stoke conflict and division?
• Is it gentle or harsh?
• Is it open to reason or so pridefully confident that no disagreement will be tolerated?
• Is it full of mercy or lacing compassion?
• Is it bringing about good fruit or poisonous fruit?
• Is it impartial or prejudiced?
• Is it sincerely believed or merely said to get attention and further an earthly agenda?

If what you’re reading, watching, or hearing isn’t ALL those things, it isn’t from heaven above. It doesn’t matter who‘s saying it or their purported credentials, don’t let it sink in and don’t pass it along!

“Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.”
– Ecclesiastes 7:10

It would be understandable to ask why the “good old days” of say, January, were better than the present. But it isn’t wise to ask this. Usually when we gaze wistfully backwards, the “golden age” we remember wasn’t actually that golden, rather our memory edits out the bad parts. However admittedly, January wasn’t that long ago. Nonetheless, the past is the past.

Wisdom is found not in lamenting bygone days but in seeking God today in the midst of pandemic, recession, isolation, virtual education, and political battles. We must trust that God is sovereign over all these things and He has called us to serve Him in this difficult time. Rather than mourn the past, seek Him and prayerfully discern how to serve and glorify Him in the present.

What we see as the worst of times may yet prove to be the very time God does His most profound work to seek and save the billions of lost people around us. Don’t miss out on being part of that because you’re busy looking backward!

“Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.” – Ecclesiastes 4:13

We live in an age in which our certainty vastly exceeds our knowledge! Everyone’s an expert if he or she is loud enough! To avoid the risk of changing our minds, we repeat (or re-tweet) what we already think louder and stronger. We seek out only those opinions, advice, and articles that affirm our politics, science, economics, lifestyle, etc. We even distort God’s Word to conform to our worldview, rather than altering our worldview to conform to God’s Word (this is why some American Christians are adamant Jesus is a Republican while others are just as adamant than He’s a Democrat).

Too many of us too often are like the old and foolish king who no longer knows how to take advice. To take advice, we must truly be willing and able to listen. We must seek out and genuinely listen to perspectives, interpretations, understandings, and facts that are different from our own. That doesn’t mean we have to be persuaded by them, but we must remember how to listen.

Slow down. Listen. Truly listen. You shouldn’t agree with everything you hear – if you do, you need to find new people to listen to. You shouldn’t take all advice that’s given by humans, but if you don’t take some advice to change, you’re definitely missing something.

More important, come before God’s Word with the integrity to ask what it truly says rather than celebrating how it always seems to agree with you. Slow down and truly listen to God’s Word. If your daily encounters with Scripture don’t occasionally ruffle your feathers, leave you unsettled about yourself, or make you angry, then ask God to open your eyes, ears, mind, and heart to His Word, because you aren’t listening well!

“Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.” – Ecclesiastes 3:13

In a portion of the Bible exploring the futility of so many of our grand plans, initiatives, and efforts, the Teacher here reminds us of the precious gift of appreciating the simple things in life. It’s easy to take eating, drinking, and working for granted or even to grumble about them. However, they are given to us by God as a gift to enjoy each day, if we’re willing to seek the joy in them.

This year has been a vivid reminder of the futility of many of our plans, efforts, and expectations. We’ve been reminded of many of the darker truths highlighted by the writer of Ecclesiastes – illness, injustice, death, inability to plan or control the future, the existence of many forces beyond our control. We’ve even been reminded that there is indeed a time to “refrain from embracing” (verse 5).

Rather than dwelling on the darkness, let us instead use this difficult time to renew our appreciation, pleasure, and thankfulness for God’s daily provision: food to eat, water to drink, and the joy of doing whatever work God has given us to do each day for His glory!