Just(ice) a Few Thoughts

Reading Isaiah 1: 5-18 yesterday I was struck with the following thoughts:

• We are dying! As individuals and a society.
• We are in deep trouble; bleeding all over the place.
• Religion is  NOT the answer.
• We need to choose to give up our evil ways (anything and everything that is in opposition to God's perfect ways. These include religion, judgments, drugs, sex slavery to name only a few)
• We need to LEARN to do good. Doing good does not come naturally.
• We need to SEEK justice. This is active. We need to be actively be searching out what are the injustice in our lives. Than we need to search out what justice look like, and we need to do it. Justice will not always be obvious, we need to be educating ourselves and others.
• We need to be simply helping people, the oppressed, with food, shelter, and clothing. It doesn't end there on top of meeting peoples basic needs we need to be fighting for and defending the oppressed.

I read both justice (fighting the systemic issues) and mercy (meeting the individuals needs).

• God is calling us in these verses to be ACTIVE in both justice and mercy.
• These things do not come naturally or just fall into are laps.
• We need to get off our butts and/or high horses and walk humbly, seek justice and love mercy (Micah 6:8).
• We are called to both meet peoples practical needs and fight the systemic issues that contribute to the marginalization of people.

This is heavy. A lot of "we need to" which can be over whelming. So let me give you some hope:

The solution is to turn to God, which we can ALL do.

• Everyone, believer and non believer, sinner and saint, need to turn to God.
• We who are the Church we need to obey God, we need to learn to do good, walk humbly, seek justice and love mercy .
• For you who do not yet know Jesus, you need to turn to God to receive His never ending love, grace, peace, forgiveness and new life.
• And visa versa. I as a follower of Jesus need  to turn to God to receive His never ending love, grace, peace, forgiveness and new life. These who are not following Jesus need to learn to do good, walk humbly, seek justice and love mercy.

• We are all in the same sinking boat (society). Only as WE ALL humble ourselves before God, pray, seek Him and  turn from are wicked ways will He heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
• This is done in community; when believers and non believers, rich and poor, black and white, old and young ALL come together.

No MORE "US" AND "THEM"!

This is a WE problem, and it needs to be a we solution.

• Live in community.
• Give up your wicked ways (religion and smoking crack)
• Actively engage in justice and mercy.

How can YOU live in community?
What wicked ways do YOU need to give up?
What are some ways YOU can engage in both justice and mercy?