God's Justice and Righteousness

"Listen to Me, My people; hear Me, My nation: Instruction will go out from Me; My justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, My salvation is on the way, and My arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to Me and wait in hope for My arm. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail." (Isaiah 51:4-6 NIV).

This promise of God is a sure strengthener. In today's world, problems are arising, which make many to believe that justice and righteousness are in deep trouble. Selfishness and pride, when seen in many, make many believe that such people do not get punished. Many criminals are roaming free. Seeing the condition of the present world, it is impossible to believe that justice and righteousness will prevail. The flourishing of the wicked arises doubts about God's sovereignty even in the saints. This thinking leads many to believe that God does not punish the wicked. Of course! In this world, any wicked person can come to Christ and be cleansed of his sins, but there is a place called Hell for all those who did not accept Jesus into their lives. The self-righteous also, if not born again, cannot enter God's kingdom. God's justice was revealed when He made us righteous through the death and resurrection of His Son. It was not revealed when we did some good things, but only when He justified us though we were to be condemned. This is the behaviour and nature of the All-Supreme Judge. Do not sadden when the wicked go unpunished, start praying for them so that they repent of their sins and start living a godly life. Their new life will become an inspiration to others like them who are trapped in sin. Yes! God's justice is that He wants everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. When we, without cursing sinners, co-operate with God in this mission, can we really say that we believe the above promise.

Instruction goes out from the Lord. What is instruction? It is a direction to be followed. God's instructions alone can make one righteous. In order that justice must prevail, God's instructions are a prerequisite. It is His instructions which help us love each other, make us please Him, and above all, leads us in the right path. When a nation follows the Lord's instructions, it gets blessed in many ways. Development of a nation does not depend merely on education but in the Lord's instruction. Lives around the world are being blessed only because they follow the Lord's instruction. In this world, when even coherent words are unable to guide us, when doubts and confusions arise in us, if we just look to the Bible and follow it, we can see life clearly. Life is a confusion for those who do not know the Bible, but it is a profusion of instructions to right living for those who digest it. Yes! God's instructions are for the follower's welfare alone because He planned every man and every instruction to go hand-in-hand with each other. He did not command anything which does not do any good to them who follow it.

God's righteousness will never fail. So we must be lamps of God's righteousness even when it seems to be in danger. If this is God's promise, how can we dare to skip good life when the situations aren't hopeful? God, the Righteous One is with us to uphold us when being good is in danger. Worldly wisdom and best-sellers on right living cannot help us, but only God's word, which contains the unfailing righteousness of God, is able to lead us in that unfailing righteousness. We may feel tempted to choose the easy path, but the end of it is intolerable. Wealth and fame may come in through cheating, but it does no real good. So, keep your eyes fixed on God's righteousness because it is the only thing which is our inspiration. When we are overwhelmed with danger because of our righteous living, when we search  consolation for being put down because of our separate way of life, our hope is found in the righteousness of God. Do not fear people who get infuriated but fear God who is the True Judge. Observing these rules can help us live a life designed and planned by God. The world may be moving to wealth and riches through wrong ways, but we must follow God at any cost. This is part of God's purpose for us.