Justice and Mercy-Flyleaf

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Lovingkindness and truth go before You. Psalm 89:14

 

The Lord has many attributes. Two which seem to be in conflict are justice and mercy. The Lord is completely just in all His ways; yet at the same time He is mercy towards His creation. We see these as opposites: if there is justice then there is no mercy but if there is mercy then there is no justice. However, the Lord does not work within our sphere of understanding. While we are completely ruined and hopeless deserving of God's total justice in our lives, He provides mercy through the cross of Jesus. We are children of wrath therefore Jesus was subjected to wrath on our behalf.

 

Flyleaf marries justice and mercy:

We're human
We reason
We're breathing
Protecting
You're living and dying, surviving, we're trying
To breathe in safety
Come home safely

Mercy screams its violent love
Justice..
And mercy
Justice..
And mercy
The death of us created for
Justice..
And mercy
Justice..
And mercy
This is where they kiss

Life, here sacrificed
Someone who paid the price
Blood in our hearts
Blood on our hands
We cry out, we're fighting, it's warfare, we're dying
Believing we're winning, it's ending, we're singing
It's already done
We've overcome

 

I am thankful we serve a just God, but I am overwhelmed by the mercy of our God.

Instead of a Show-Jon Foreman

I hate all your show and pretense
the hypocrisy of your praise
the hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show

Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stop up my ears when your
singing ‘em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood
of justice
An endless procession of righteous
living, living
Instead let there be a flood
of justice
Instead of a show

People like to put on a big show in God's name. They bring in famous speakers, musicians, or leaders to "go big" for God. They spend tons of money on fancy buildings, elaborate lights, and shiny gadgets to catch peoples eyes; but all they have is empty entertainment. That is not what God wants from us. He knows that those who seek Him are not impressed with grandeur and pompous social occasions. All these gatherings are more of a way of showing off to each other rather than praising God. Instead, God desires we use our time, talent, and money on helping those in need. His heart is for justice and mercy:

I hate, I reject your festivals,

Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.

"Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,

I will not accept them;

And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.

"Take away from Me the noise of your songs;

I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.

"But let justice roll down like waters

And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream Amos 5:21-24

If our lives are full of sin and evil, God will reject us no matter what show we put on. Our focus should be on our inward righteousness and holiness. Would we put the same efforts in our lives if we knew God was the only one watching? Let us remember that God cares more about our holiness than happiness and more about our character than comfort.

I Will Find You-Jimmy Needham

I recently read John 9-the story of the man blind form birth. As a read verse 1,
As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth
it struck me that Jesus was the one who initiated the healing. It reminded me of the song from Jimmy Needham about how Jesus is the One who finds us when we are lost and blind:

When you’re lost and eyes are blind, too
I will find you, I will find you
Soon the stars will start to shine through
I will find you, I will find you
There ain’t no stoppin’ me now
It’s just a matter of how
My voice calls, My hands stretch out
And well, let Me remind you: one day I will find you

It can be easy to forget that Jesus initiates the healing in our lives. This blind man was not looking for Jesus or even really knew Him. But Jesus knew that HE would heal this man and that God would get the glory for it. We should be cautious not to think that we are the reason for the healing in our lives. No matter what we have been healed from, God ultimately get the glory because He seeks us out. HE finds us at our worst and gives us sight to see the world as we have never seen it before.

Rising Sun-All Sons and Daughters

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For His name alone is exalted;

His glory is above earth and heaven. Psalm 148:13

 

The Lord is worthy of all our praise. Even though we don'y deserve to pray and sing to Him, HE accepts our humble offerings. All Sons and Daughters does an awe inspiring job of writing praise songs.

 

Praise Him all you sinners
Sing oh sing you weary
Oh praise Him all you children of God
We lift high His glory
Shown throughout our stories
We praise Him as the children of God

Our great redeemer
Glorious Savior
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Light of the morning
You shine forever
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Your name is higher than the rising sun

Praise His name forever
Speak it loud and clear now
Oh praise Him all you children of God

Our great redeemer
Glorious Savior
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Light of the morning
You shine forever
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Your name is higher than the rising sun

Hallelujah
Name above all
Simply to speak Your name is praise
Hallelujah
Now and always
Forever we lift Your name in praise
Hallelujah
Our God, You reign
Simply to speak Your name is praise

Our great redeemer
Glorious Savior
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Light of the morning
You shine forever
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Your name is higher than the rising sun
Your name is higher than the rising sun

Hallelujah name above all
Hallelujah name above all
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Death of Me-Red

How can you help my affliction
If you're the sickness and not the cure
Too long I've faked this addiction
Another sacrifice to make us pure
You tear me down and then you pick me up
You take it all and still it's not enough
You try to tell me you can heal me
But I'm still bleeding
And you will be the death of me

Satan is a liar. He uses any means necessary to promise us wonderful things in life but all he delivers is pain. He seeks to destroys all man regardless of whether they follow Christ or not. Only Christ brings life, Satan only brings death.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour 1 Peter 5:8

We must be aware of his lies and deceptions by asking the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the spiritual forces around us.

Double Life-We As Human

Don't pretend that it never happened
I was there and I know what you did
You can hide underneath that grin
I see right through you

Now you face the consequences
Now you have to live with all of this
Now you get what you deserve when you
Live this double life
Now you run in casings of the truth
Now your past is catching up with you
Now you get what you deserve when you
Live this double life

This song brought to mind the story in Acts 5 where a husband and wife conspired together to lie to the church about giving money. They appeared righteous and sacrificing giving money from selling land but they had kept back some for themselves. Everyone found out what they did when they died in their sin.

Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well."  Acts 5:9

When we claim to be one thing but live differently, our lie catches us. We not only lie to others but we lie to God as well. We do not need to pretend to be anything. We only need to live the life God calls us to live as followers of Chrisy-one of holiness and righteousness.

 

Something Greater-Southbound Fearing

Lately I have been such a selfish man
Won't You bring me back again, back to Your plan
Cuz I'm shooting for the stars, I'm reaching to the sky
Won't You take me by the hand, oh I say
I long for something greater, something different now
My weary soul cries out
My dry bones are calling out like barren desert now
Lord, our Your Spirit down

When we live for ourselves, we such the life out of ourselves and people around us. Our selfishness spreads like cancer even to our bones. We are lifeless and useless to all around us. It is not until we surrender and allow the Spirit of the Lord to bring us back to life that we learn what living is all about. The life that God gives is greater, better, and sweeter than anything we could imagine. Although it is not easy, nothing worth having is ever easy. There is beauty in the struggle.

We must realize that we cannot achieve this life on our own despite all our efforts. IT only comes from the Spirit of the Lord as Ezekiel states:

I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it," declares the Lord.'" (Ezekiel 37:14 NASB)

There is such freedom in lifting our hands to the Lord in praise for what He has done because we could never do it on our own.

Back to You-Natalie LaRue

 
Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually. (Hosea 12:6 NASB)

Some people have a view of God as an angry judge waiting to sentence us for every little thing we do wrong. But that is a distorted view. The Lord is holy but He is also mercy and grace. His kindness leads us to repentence, not His anger. As Natalie LaRue tells us, we can always go back no maatter where we have been.

I am coming up dry

I am running on empty
my burden is time and the hours pass slowly
here in the dark
in the seasons of night

​

I am broken up clay

that is worn an​d is brittle​

your water is life
But hurts just a little going down

as I swallow my pride

 

And so I come back to you, back to you today
I will come back to you, back to you
Oh, how I love the way,
Your kindness keeps on rolling,
like a river swells with rain,
calling me back to you, back to you, Today

​