BY MICHELLE WILLIAMS, VOLUNTEER EXTRAORDINAIRE
To have a life of impact, you must practice Justice.
Doing something that brings good into another’s life often feels equally as good in our own lives. Dave Rod reminded us that it’s because God created us for that purpose. We are God’s masterpieces, and He wants us to have the good life:
The thief comes only to kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life and have it to the full. John 10:10
The good life is a life of impact—and making an impact comes through practicing justice. But what does the practice of justice look like? We can reference Isaiah 58 to discover some of God’s promises to us when we practice justice. They are promises of healing and protection.
Isaiah also provides insight about practicing justice. It’s about restoring communities and breaking the chains of injustice. Injustice is described as crushing and oppressive—when people are under the control of forces they cannot fight alone. We begin practicing justice by first experiencing a soul-gripping agony about injustice; and justice is also about changing our tone from malice to love.
5 Practical Takeaways About Practicing Justice
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Pay attention to injustice. Shift your focus and take notice.
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Decide to be a dialogue changer. Set the tone of love and say no to the voice of malice.
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Change the way you possess things. Understanding that it all belongs to God.
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Roll up your sleeves and do something. Pick a broken place and engage in Grace Church serving opportunities.
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Join The Way of Discipleship.
“Don’t feel like you need to swing for the fences. Just get on base.”—Dave Rod
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Isaiah 58:6-12