THE THRILL OF GOD'S JUSTICE
READ 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power: 12That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
These are thrilling verses. Paul is praying for us, that our future potential might begin to be realized even in the present. He is saying that God would count you worthy of this calling, that you would fulfill all his good pleasure. He is saying that he is praying that you will let God work in you right now, and one of these days the thrill of it all will come to beautiful fruition.
Again, in verse 12 he says, "That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in Him."
You and I should live in a way that causes the whole world to praise God for what He's done in us, that people today would look at our lives and see how God is at work in us and they would praise the Lord Jesus Christ because of what He's doing in our lives.
Does anybody see Jesus at work in your life? Is anybody praising God because of what they see going on in your life? "…and you in him."
He's going to be glorified in you, and you are going to be glorified in Him. We belong to Jesus. We're hooked up with Jesus. We're in the family of Jesus. We're in Him, and He's in us.
In verse 12 he talks about glory and grace in the same verse. Often, these two words appear together in Scripture. Grace is how it all began. Glory is how it all ends. Grace is the bud. Glory is the flower.
The psalmist said, in Psalm 84:11, "…the Lord will give grace and glory." Every person God saves by His amazing grace is destined, one day, to reflect His amazing glory.
That's when the justice of God will be fully displayed.
What is God saying to us? God is saying, though injustices may occur in this universe, this universe is a just universe. What does God tell us to do? God tells us to wait.
Psalm 27:13-14 states, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Are you going through trouble? Sufferings? Tragedies in your life? Have you raised questions about the justice of God's universe? God says, "Wait." The greatest injustice that ever occurred in the universe was the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary.
If there was ever an example of the righteous suffering unnecessarily, it would be the
Lord Jesus Christ. There was no sin in Jesus. Nothing in Jesus Christ called for the cross of Calvary. It was the most unjust act ever committed in the universe. God said, "wait." One day went by and God said, "wait." Two days went by, and God said, "wait." Three days went by, and up from the grave, He arose.
An injustice was temporary, while justice is eternal. Life is not a math problem where you punch in some figures in your computer. Push another button and out comes an answer. Life is a drama with a series of scenes. Though from scene to scene it may seem to you as though there are injustices, just keep in mind that down the road, if you'll wait, there's a final scene, and it is written and directed by God Himself. So, you just need to keep on waiting, keep on trusting.
Martha had lost her beloved brother, Lazarus. She rushed out to the Lord Jesus and said to Him, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Jesus said to her, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God.” (John 11:40)
When the tragedy has occurred and injustice seems to be on the throne, just keep on waiting. Just keep on believing. One of these days, we'll see the glory of God.
Your Friend and HIS,
Pastor Abbott
MEDITATIONS
1. Does anyone see Jesus at work in your life? What does God want to accomplish right now in you?
2. Read Titus 2:12. What does this verse say about how you are to be living your life?
3. How should the phrase in Psalm 84:11, “…the LORD will give grace and glory…” impact you?
4. What does it mean when we are told to “wait” on the LORD? What is the purpose of our waiting?