Justice of the Peace

All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ... 

– 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6

The saying goes that death and taxes are the only certainties in life. But what about the certainties of suffering, pain, and injustice? Every day, good people lose their jobs, endure family conflicts, and are stricken by disease. At the same time, those who mock Jesus and live sin-filled lives seem to get ahead. They cheat, steal, work the system, and reap the benefits. Why does God allow it?

Long ago, paradise on earth was forever ruined when Adam and Eve chose to disobey their Creator in the Garden of Eden. And ever since, death — both literal and spiritual — has followed in the wake of that original sin. Meanwhile, no good deed seems to go unpunished. Those who strive to walk life’s narrow path, love their neighbors, and otherwise do the right thing can find themselves holding the short end of the stick.

The apostle Paul knew a thing or two about enduring injustice: 

“Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,” he explains in 2 Corinthians. “I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.”

We live in a dark, broken, and dying world. But it won’t be like this forever. So, when you and I are treated unfairly, let’s remember that God sees our suffering — and he’ll bring us justice. Moreover, the day is coming soon when Jesus will call home every Believer to receive their reward and share in His joy for eternity. It’s His imminent return that gives us hope, shapes our grief, and calls us to live awake and ready. As Paul reassures us through Romans 8:18: 

“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”

Little Christs

Then John agreed to his baptism. Jesus came straight out of the water afterwards, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting upon him. And a voice came out of Heaven saying, “This is my dearly-loved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

– Matthew 3:16-17

Early followers of Jesus were called Little Christs because their newfound faith had transformed their lives for all to see. This odd group of people from all walks of life — rich and poor, male and female, slave and free — were markedly different from the rest of society. They somehow had grown more caring and generous toward both neighbors and strangers alike, and they willingly sacrificed their time and resources to ease sorrow and correct injustice. Ultimately, they had abandoned their old, selfish tendencies in favor of something much greater.

In a word, they were changed.

And that says a lot for their leader — an obscure rabbi from a distant corner of the Roman Empire who just happened to be God’s own Son. Few recognized that at the time. But because some did and led changed lives while following Jesus, millions in future generations would in turn help to change the world for the better.

Modern-day Christ-followers like you and me must also set aside their selfish desires in favor of following Jesus’ example of righteousness. And like those first disciples transformed by the words of the Sermon on the Mount, we, too, should recognize that Jesus the leader was also Jesus the follower. Christ spoke constantly with his Father (God) in prayer and always sought his guidance:

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing,” explains Jesus, “because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

It’s a radical approach that’s just as life-changing today as it was 2,000 years ago. And it’s also one that calls for personal action, commitment, and sacrifice. So whether you’ve followed Jesus for five years or 55, grasp every opportunity to become more like him, walk in his ways, and see the world through his eyes. And ask God to work through you with the Holy Spirit — that personal, loving Power, who makes it possible to leave your old self behind and become a new creation.

It’s change that makes a difference. And eventually, through the trials of life and the whispers of his leadings, we’ll become the faithful servant-leaders that Jesus desires us to be.

 

 

Practical Faith

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive
to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

– 1 Thessalonians 5:15

When asked by one of the Pharisees — a strict religious sect — to name the greatest of God’s laws, Jesus astounded his audience by the simplicity and clarity of his response:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment,” Jesus said. “And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

With just a few brief words, our Savior summarized a key biblical principle: That God’s love, translated into beneficial motivations and actions through our faith in Jesus Christ, is an unstoppable, world-changing force.

It’s also a reminder that LOVE is an action word. But that's a hard concept for many people because they link it to weddings, chocolates, and Valentine’s Day. But Jesus wasn’t talking about some fleeting, awkward emotion. Instead, he's calling you and me to walk in step with him by transforming our love into practical action. That’s everything from helping an elderly neighbor with their groceries to revealing God’s light to inmates through a prison ministry. It could also translate into changing a co-worker’s life by showing them how Jesus changed our own. The possibilities and potential are endless. 

Such practicalities aren’t restricted to perfect strangers and that neighbor down the street. As a family of faith, we should also pray for one another, celebrate each other's triumphs, mourn each other's losses, and sacrifice our own selfish interests for the good of fellow Believers. And it’s by consistently putting our faith into action that the world will know us as The Church: everyone on Earth who trusts in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. As the apostle Paul reminds us:

^“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; 
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

 

Ready … Set … Go!

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

– Matthew 24:44

On July 29, 2025, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia — one of the largest temblors ever recorded by modern seismic instruments. The subsequent Pacific-wide tsunami was much weaker than expected. Still, there was one indirect fatality, 21 injuries, plus flooding in Russia and Hawaii. 

It was about 21 years earlier that a different earthquake and tsunami made headlines. December 26, 2004, began innocently enough, with families enjoying the morning across numerous Asian beaches. Suddenly, a magnitude 9.3 earthquake, as powerful as 23,000 Hiroshima-style atomic bombs, struck near the island of Sumatra. The resulting tsunami rose to the height of an 8-story building and struck 11 nations along the Indian Ocean. More than 200,000 people died.

Seismic equipment had detected and recorded the massive earthquake, but Indonesia had no working tidal gauges to spot a tsunami. However, the warning signs were still there. And most of the victims either didn’t recognize them, heed them, or have time to react. They were completely unprepared.

Disasters, whether natural or manmade, happen every day. They’re often unpredictable. And there’s no guarantee that we can save ourselves, our family, or our property — even if we do recognize the warning signs. There are, however, signals for a much greater world-changing event that could happen at any moment. What’s more, we can begin to prepare for it right NOW.

God promises that one day, a Savior (Jesus) will with a trumpet blast summon all Believers to be with him forever. Then after several years of turmoil that will follow on earth, Christ will set foot in Jerusalem to right all the wrongs of this world, save and reward those who believe in Him, and send all others to an eternity of torment. No one knows the exact time or day that Christ will appear. But many of the Second Coming’s related Bible prophesies have already been fulfilled, such as the unlikely re-birth of Israel in 1948.

Jesus’ return is imminent. That means he could appear within the next five seconds or 500 years. But either way, we must be prepared. That’s because we don’t know when our time on Earth will cease. Check the headlines and you’re bound to find stories about people killed through accident, crime, war, or sudden illness (like a stroke or heart attack). Like the 200,000 victims of the December 2004 tsunami, they had no idea that their time was up.

Here’s the obvious question: Are you prepared to meet your Maker? Your answer has eternal consequences. 

“So you also must be ready,” Jesus warns us, “because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Our God is a God of justice. And since we’ve all failed to live up to his perfect standards, we all deserve the death penalty that Jesus endured in our place on the cross. So, if you’re not sure whether you’ll spend eternity with or without God, the apostle Paul has this word of advice:

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The signs are all around us … and disaster IS on the way. But don’t panic. Instead, be ready.

Practical Compassion

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more …

– 1 Thessalonians 4:9–10

As Christ-followers, we're often reminded about the importance of helping our neighbors and showing compassion to strangers. Jesus taught this principle through The Good Samaritan, one of the most familiar stories of the Bible.

It’s in Luke’s gospel that we read about a traveler who was attacked by robbers and left for dead. A priest discovered the wounded man, but elected to pass him by. Later, a Levite (a member of one of the tribes of Israel) also saw the man lying on the ground, and he too avoided him. But when a Samaritan — a member of a despised ethnic group — happened to come by, he bandaged up the injured stranger, checked him into a motel, and even prepaid the bill!

The story’s two supposedly "good" people had a chance to help the helpless, but they went out of their way to do nothing. Instead, it was the Samaritan who found God's approval because he showed practical compassion to his neighbor (a stranger).

This lesson raises some important questions: 

How well are we treating other Christ-followers — let alone perfect strangers? And is our relationship with fellow Believers both holy and loving?

The moment we put our faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, we join an enormous, worldwide family that spans race, nationality, gender, and generation. We may be very different, but it's our faith in Christ that bridges the gap. We also share a common, eternal destiny with a loving Father. And he’s at the core of our very words, thoughts, and deeds.

It’s this truth that separates Christ-followers from everyone else on earth. And since the world is watching us and questioning our motives, it’s crucial that we live out our faith and treat others accordingly.

What does that look like? It’s by celebrating each other's triumphs, mourning each other's losses, and sacrificing our own selfish interests that we can exhibit transformed lives and ongoing spiritual growth. And above all, we must follow Jesus' example — one where LOVE is an action-word rather than a feeling. As Christ reminds us through John’s gospel:

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."