God continues to illuminate our minds concerning the remarkable mandate given to us to establish His purposes within our spheres of influence. What this means is being His voice, His hands, and demonstrating His heart of justice on behalf of hurting lives, struggling communities, and divided nations.
Years ago while on a pilgrimage to Edinburgh, Scotland, I experienced a defining moment in my life. I visited the castle there and saw the beautiful crown jewels. I was then confused when I saw a huge ordinary-looking rock sharing an honored place adjacent to the crown jewels, all housed behind bulletproof encased glass. It looked so out of place. As I proceeded to read the inscription, however, I discovered that this seemingly ordinary rock in front of me was something called the “Destiny Stone.” It was upon the Destiny Stone that Kings and Queens would sit to be coronated. I learned that at that moment “it was no longer about them, but their kingdom, their people, and their very land.” To the people of Scotland, the Destiny Stone’s wealth far exceeds money or prosperity.
Without understanding our divine directive, we would throw away that stone of destiny—our seat of Kingdom commissioning—for the more obvious beauty of the crown jewels (man’s standard of success). We must learn and know that we cannot ignore our most valuable inheritance and eternal purpose by exchanging it for temporal wealth, even if it first appears common.
In that moment in Scotland, tears began to run down my face when I recognized that in order to embrace destiny I had to understand deep in my heart that it was not about me but the Kingdom. It is seeking FIRST God’s rule and reign manifested through truth, justice, and mercy. Secondly, it is about people! And thirdly, the land redeemed.
Dr. Bill Hamon writes in The Eternal Church, “As God limited Himself to the body of Jesus….so has Jesus limited His contact with the world to His corporate body.” We have a legacy to uphold!
God has planted us in a community and has surrounded us with people—a sphere of influence—to be living epistles (letters) read of all men! With a justice mindset we will be positioned to be an instrument of justice and a true demonstration of the Kingdom of God established.
UNDERSTANDING JUSTICE
Justice has to do with the exercise and distribution of power, authority, influence, and wealth. That power is visible in political and governmental arenas, but also in social structures, religion, culture, family, education, and business. When we use this power to do good on behalf of others we become an “instrument of justice.” Sadly, when power is used to take from people what God destined them to have, that is injustice.
Sometimes life is just not fair and injustice does not come through the hands of man but through the circumstances of life. There is a literal enemy who hates God and hates those He loves—people! (John 10:10) He is the ultimate instrument of injustice.
In a world full of gray where we are taught that truth is relative and you can even be your own god, many are desperate for a standard of right and wrong; they are aching for role-models who can be trusted and lives that demonstrate pure motives with no hidden agendas. Instead, injustice flourishes in the midst of moral uncertainty. It creates hot beds of fear, confusion, insecurity and abuse.
Before the United Nations, Dr. Gary Allen said, “The human heart instinctively knows that it deserves justice. The human heart cries out for justice. However, our world is filled with injustice and suffering. The history of mankind is the history of injustice and abuse of our fellowman. It is the story of injustice, hostility, tyranny, brutality, anger, hatred, inhumanity, violence, and revenge…”
EVEN SO God has planted us as instruments of His justice in our family, city, and nation. Our world is hungry to be loved, valued, and honored!
The Word of God (The Holy Bible) is an absolute standard that will never lead us astray. Righteousness and justice are the very foundation of the throne from which God rules and reigns. (Psalm 97:2) There is a big difference from right and wrong, justice and injustice; our God is extremely impassioned about the difference. Isaiah 61:8 says that God loves justice and hates robbery and iniquity. He sees the oppression, the tears of the oppressed and how power appears to be on the side of the oppressors. (Ecclesiastes 4:1) Those who oppress the poor are insulting God! (Proverbs 14:31) Believe it or not, the Bible says (Psalm 11:7-7) that God hates the wicked and those who love violence! However, upright men—the instruments of justice—will see His face.
What the world needs is a strong and courageous influence of people who carry a worldview of justice. A worldview is a mindset, idea, a way of viewing things about yourself and your world that determines how you will live.
I often say that what you value underlies all of your decisions and actions. It may or may not be a conscious choice, but it determines your future and how your life will impact society.
Many say they desire to use their power and influence for good, but when it affects their standard of living or their popularity they pull back because they do not want to be inconvenienced. To quote Dr. Allen once again, “The sad reality is that man’s nature desires justice for himself, yet he denies it to others.” This must change!
The Word of God tells us what is good and what is required of us. That is to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8) We are commissioned and commanded to defend the poor and the fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and needy, and to deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 82:3-4) God is looking for His people to be a voice of justice for those who have no voice; to be His hands of rescue, bringing hope to the hopeless. Within us is the purpose and the tools needed to fulfill our part in releasing God’s justice to a hurting world.
Author George Grant wrote in his book, “Carry a Big Stick,” “We must diligently strive to make our young men decent, God-fearing, law-abiding, honor-loving, justice-doing, and also fearless and strong, able to hold their own in the hurly-burly or the world’s work, able to strive mightily that the forces of right may be in the end triumphant. And we must be ever vigilant in so telling them.”
Many of us have experienced injustice but the God of Justice has destroyed the works of darkness in our lives. The love of Jesus has become a burning passion inside of us releasing us to be instruments of His justice!
Though we are not absent from the emotions of fear, we are courageously confident in the cause of justice. No longer are we bound by shame resulting from who we are, where we came from, or the injustices against us. We know our purpose! Our willingness to leave our selfish ambitions and live for God will cause our voices to be heard when we cry for what is just and right.
In Foes of our own Household, Theodore Roosevelt wrote, “Do justice: and therefore fight valiantly against those that stand for the reign of Moloch and Beelzebub on the earth. Love mercy, treat your enemies well; succor the afflicted; treat every woman if she were your sister, care for the little children and be tender with the old and helpless. Walk humbly; you will do so if you study the life and teaching of the Savior, walking in His steps.”
We are called to impact the world like no other generation has done before us. We are desperate to live for a cause worth dying for. Transformation is stirring in our hearts and justice is its name!
Commissioned to do justice,
Dr. Melodye Hilton
To learn more about how you can receive justice for yourself and become an instrument of justice for others, subscribe to Dr. Melodye’s full teaching on “The God of Justice.” Watch a short preview below.