Guaranteed: A Just Judge
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 everyone by raising him from the dead.””
We want to see justice, don’t we? We long to see evildoers put in their place and good triumph over evil. Sometimes we try to take matters into our own hands...other times we look to someone in leadership: the next celebrity or politician who promises they will make things right and better.
But here’s the thing. No individual, political system or ideology can accurately bring justice that will truly satisfy. If we let ourselves get caught up in that line of thinking, we’re letting ourselves be deceived. And if we encourage our sons and daughters in that line of thinking, we’re not leading well as godly parents.
We need to start by supporting healthy, solid theology both in our own lives and in those of our sons and daughters. Have they moved beyond the basics to develop a deeper understanding of God and His nature? When we deepen our understanding of God we are more apt to dive deeper in His word and understand the complexities of what is written there. When we do that, we realize that His word holds the answers that this world is longing for.
When we have a deeper understanding of God and His word, we can read Act 17:31 with confidence and understanding. “For He (God) has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed…”
He has set a day. There is a timeframe on this. It’s not open ended. He knows exactly when judgement and justice will come. He knows we’re anxious to see it, yet He has a perfect plan in place- let’s trust Him.
He will judge the world. He won’t leave it to another. God himself will judge.
He will judge with justice
He will judge by the man he has appointed.
Now, those who don’t know the Lord, may begin asking, ‘what man?’. But we know, WE KNOW exactly Who is spoken of here when the next statement says “He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” THAT man!! Jesus is the only One who fits the description and has those credentials. We know Him personally and we trust His character. So when God says He will bring just judgement, we can believe Him.
Friends, let’s encourage our sons and daughters with these words today. Let’s not let them fall into disillusionment- a deception of the enemy.
Yes, our hearts should be heavy with what we’re seeing in the world and we should feel a sense of urgency that should help us all refocus on what is to come. But we should also rejoice that God has appointed Jeses to judge justly and we must be confident that day will come when we will see justice served. Are our sons and daughters mindful of what is to come...and are they ready?
Today, pray for perspective, a heart that cries out against injustice and a soul that longs to see our risen Jesus step into His role as judge, appointed by the Father and given authority to judge justly.
Pray without ceasing.