Daily Devotions: August 22, 2017

Daily Devotions: August 22, 2017

Isaiah 51:4-6

“Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples.” vs. 4

The prophet believed with all of his heart that Israel had been given a singular teaching, a message that deserved all the attention of the people and could be transformative for all who heard it. And it wasn’t just because the Lord wanted the nation to be great. What the community of faith had been given was an understanding of God’s justice that would be a light to all peoples. Obviously this was more than a series of laws and commandments…even having thousands of ordinances regulating every aspect of human interaction does not ensure justice. Because of human sin, the rules can actually tend to obscure justice. What the prophet was looking for was the introduction of God’s kingly rule–what Jesus called the kingdom of God–the direct governance of God over every human heart and the reversal of values within the society and the culture. We see signs of that justice all around us and it touches us in surprising ways. Sometimes we even see the indicators in our own lives as we begin to act in ways not directly related to our own self-interest–those amazing times when we do the right thing and not just what the law requires or what we can get away with. In those moments, it is we who are the light…and the whole world is blessed.

Thought for the Day: Times when I’ve been moved to act against my self-interest.

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