God’s Justice – Word for the Soul

True Justice

April 18, 2026April 17, 2026 Loring Schultz

“This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’” Zechariah 7:9 NIV

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NIV

Are you an advocate for administering true justice with mercy and compassion? If so, where do you find the source for true justice, mercy, and compassion? There can only be one source, the creator God and His written word. The prophet Micah confirms this by saying ‘He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.’ (Mic.6:8 niv) Therefore by following the principles and guidelines found in Scripture we have a solid foundation to build upon in administering justice with mercy and compassion.

Every Christian is to be outspoken with the injustices committed in our society. Whether it is the neglect of the poor and homeless, or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, or religion. Christians should be out front not only with calls for justice, but with the actions to back it up. The New Testament book of 1 John tells us, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (3:17, 18 niv)

The key word in I John 3:18 is ‘truth.’ Our advocacy must be based on truth. The truth of God’s Word. There is a problem today for many Christians and it has made its way into many Christian churches. God’s justice (Biblical justice) is being intermingled with the world’s term of ‘social justice.’ They are not one and the same. It is true caring for the poor, the homeless, and standing against discrimination are tenets of “God’s justice’ as well as ‘social justice’, but not all the tenets of ‘social justice’ are tenets of ‘God’s justice.’

As Christians we are to be wise and discerning in what constitutes ‘social justice’ in our day. The cries of each injustice are to be examined in the light of Scripture to test and prove it is a Biblical principle that has been violated. It is to not contradict any other of God’s principles in Scripture when addressing it. If it passes the test then we are to be an advocate for the injustice by following what the Lord said in the book of Zechariah, “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.” (Zech.7:9 niv)

A Christian Perspective

A Message to World Leaders

August 16, 2025August 13, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: Psalm 96 NLT – Psalm 96 – Sing a new song to the LORD! – Bible Gateway

“Tell all the nations, “The LORD reigns!” The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly.” Psalm 96:10 NLT

As of this writing there is a summit scheduled between the United States and Russia on Friday August 15, 2025, which was yesterday. Obviously the outcome of that first summit in four years between the two countries is not known to this writer at the moment. What is known is that each side will try to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine to their advantage. This, of course, is not the only on-going war in the world on this day. Israel and the terror group Hamas has been fighting now close to two years with no end in sight. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost in both conflicts and lack basic needs in each area is added to the suffering.

I may be skeptical, but I don’t believe either side will open the summit with the words of the psalmist in Psalm 96, “Tell all the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’” The leaders in our world, as a whole, do not recognize God as in control and reigning. They do not hold to looking up to Him for wisdom on how to judge when Scripture says it is He who ‘will judge all people fairly.’ But then again most do not recognize the Bible as an authority that was written by the creator of this world. It is as if the psalmist is pleading with our world leaders, “O nations of the world, recognize the LORD; recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong.” (Ps.96:7 nlt)

Scripture declares all authority comes from God. Every world leader’s authority is ordained by God. That is hard for some of us to accept, nevertheless God declares it. Those in authority have the responsibility to govern by Biblical standards. We all know that is not the case, and why we have continual wars and crime running rampant. This current world will never be perfect, but world leaders can make it a lot more peaceful and livable if they only recognize the Lord and have Him lead in their governing by His glorious and strong hand.

A Christian Perspective

It is Never Safe to Do Wrong

June 21, 2025June 18, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: Ecclesiastes 8:9-13 NLT – The Wicked and the Righteous – I have – Bible Gateway

“When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” Ecclesiastes 8:11 NLT

Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com

According to ‘The Council of State Governments Justice Center’ website, “Failing to arrest people who commit violent crime undermines justice, safety, and trust in government. More accountability, instead of arbitrary punishment, is urgently needed. Failing to solve violent crime means less justice for victims and their families, less trust in the justice system’s ability to protect and respond, and a greater risk of retaliatory violence” (1) King Solomon put it this way, “When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” (Ec.8:11 nlt) The same Justice Center reports, “Unsolved violent crime is a national issue facing nearly every state. In 2022, more than 50 percent of violent crimes reported to law enforcement went unsolved in 38 states. And in 6 states, over two-thirds of all violent crime went unsolved.” (1)

There is definitely a problem in America punishing violent crime or any non-violent crime. What exasperates the problem is the failure not to convict those guilty of a crime but to release them without any consequences back into society. We should all agree that Solomon is right when he says, people then feel it is OK and safe to do wrong. “After all, it looks like I got away with it. I got off.” But every parent knows if you let your little ones get away with the small things, bigger ones are not far behind. The criminal justice system does have its challenges, but it must be more forceful in punishing the small offenders not sending them out with a ‘get out of jail free card’ to use against the innocent.

It is never safe to do wrong even if our district attorneys fail to prosecute and our court judges release the guilty. There is one greater who will enact perfect justice. Solomon also wrote, “The wicked will not prosper, for they do not fear God. Their days will never grow long like the evening shadows.” (Ec.8:13 nlt) We can rest comfortably their day will come. “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb.10:31 nlt) In the meantime we should all be praying for safety and justice in the streets of America and around the world.

(1) The Accountability Gap: Unsolved Violent Crime in the United States – Tools for States to Address Crime

Devotionals

What Do You See?

June 18, 2025June 16, 2025 Loring Schultz

Read: Habakkuk 1:1-11 NLT – This is the message that the prophet – Bible Gateway

“Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.” Habakkuk 1:3 NLT

The prophet Habakkuk had a couple complaints for God he wanted to get off his chest. First, Habakkuk was in doubt God was hearing his prayers. If He was, God wasn’t responding. Secondly, Habakkuk doesn’t understand why he must witness all the evil around him while the culprits go unpunished. Sound familiar? Habakkuk saw nothing but misery through destruction, violence, people fighting, and no justice in the courts. Again, sound familiar. The old saying is true, ‘the more things change the more they stay the same.’

Habakkuk was writing over 2,500 years ago and his words are just as relevant today and could be posted on any social media website. If you ever thought about or have questioned God, you’re not alone. When we see the same things that the old prophet saw in his day it makes us want to cry out with him, why? And perhaps we feel God is not listening to us as Habakkuk felt. But we are both wrong in our assessment of God’s attention to our prayers. He does listen and answers in His timing and according to His will.

God told Habakkuk the guilty will not go unpunished. The guilty, in this case, was his own people, the people of Judah. “The LORD replied, ‘Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.’” (Hab.1:5 nlt) God was going to use the evil Babylonian Empire to bring justice to His own people. This of course caused Habakkuk to question God even more, but through it all he rested in God working His plan which included bringing judgment on the Babylonians.

We do not understand the fine workings of God. They are too high for us, as high as the heavens. But we can rest that God hears our prayers as we tell Him what we see asking for justice in our world. God will bring about justice according to His plan and use people and nations we would never consider, but then again, we are not God. Only He can bring about true justice. So, it’s OK to question God and tell Him what we see, just remember He has the perfect plan already worked out.