May 19,2011 - Acts 17:31

“’For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.’” Acts 17:31.
Paul comes to the pinnacle of his proclamation. He states that God’s just judgment of the world is proved by Jesus being raised from the dead. This just judgment by God is applied with mercy and grace, not only punishment for wrongdoing. It is more than that. It is bringing something that is dead and breathing new life into it, most clearly illustrated in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is, also, what we are called to do in taking care of the poor, the disenfranchised, the exploited, and the oppressed. We do this by being agents of change in bringing new life, restoration, and reconciliation out of hopeless and helpless situations.
The other evening in a couples study group, I had an eye-opening experience. Perhaps for the first time ever, I began to realize how blind I have been to the injustices around me in the limited world that I live in on a daily basis. In an intellectual way, I have been ‘aware’ of many injustices around the world – slavery, child prostitution, oppression of the poor and disadvantaged, yet I had blinders over my eyes when it came to seeing prejudice and injustice happening right around me. Part of the working out of God’s just judgment in my life is by representing the resurrecting power of Jesus to those around me by living in a redemptive way. As happened with Jesus, this may involve confronting injustice, which can be costly and even life threatening, but it is the right thing to do.
Questions to consider: How is God’s judgment proven by the resurrection of Jesus? What injustice or oppression have you witnessed personally? What can you do, as an agent of the kingdom of God, to combat such exploitation?
Prayer: Father, thank You that You are a God of redemption, restoration, and reconciliation. Help me to recognize cruelty and repression and to be an ambassador of Your kingdom in the part of the world You’ve put me in. Amen.