When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
—Psalm 21:15
Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Many people have. Citations for speeding are common. When these tickets bring us to court, however, a significant portion end up being thrown out. Usually the judge simply feels generous or thinks the speed violation is too small. We rejoice when something like this happens to us, but the truth is that it’s inconsistent with justice. No matter how small the infraction, we owe something when we sin by breaking a law. Someone (whether it’s us or another person) must pay the price.
Unfortunately, many people think that relaxing in the context of justice is showing love. Parents, for example, will let their kid do just about anything because they don’t want to hurt the child’s feelings by disciplining him or her. Although their hearts are in the right place, this can be a dangerous notion. If a child is taught that there are no consequences to breaking the rules, then why should he or she follow them in the first place?
God is an example of true justice. Each time that we sin, we deserve death. Although He loves us more than we can comprehend, God is just enough that He will follow through our punishment and give us what we deserve. However, Jesus came down and paid our fine, in essence. He covered our mistakes by giving His own perfect life, and when we choose to give our lives to Him we can escape the price of our sins in a fair and honest way.
Today, give thanks to our just God. Know that He will always rule with a firm but gentle hand.
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