Justice. Righteousness. Jesus.

To help celebrate our 21st anniversary Beth and I went whitewater rafting in Colorado last week.  It is going to seem strange but the best part was when our raft capsized and flung us into the cold river water that was snow just days before. The sides of the raft were so big that I couldn’t
pull myself up and into the raft. Instead, one of the guides grabbed me by my life jacket, fell back into the raft and pulled me over on top of him.
 
At the Church of God Convention in Denver, Colorado our General Director, Jim Lyon, and a full lineup of powerful speakers focused on what it means for Jesus-people to live in justice and righteousness. The main idea was that Jesus calls his followers to constantly give their power
away in order to lift up others.
 
When I was outside the raft I could expend all the energy I wanted to but it wasn’t until someone else used their power on my behalf that I was able to get to a safe place. What power do you have? Maybe it is your knowledge of the Bible or the testimony that God has blessed you with.
Maybe it is the resources—financial and relational—that God has entrusted you to steward.  Maybe you need to take a few minutes to just think about it because God has given all of us power in one way or another.
 
Whatever it is, let’s make sure we are using everything we have to pull people into the boat—leading them to a place of safety in Christ. Part of our righteous living is ensuring that others receive justice. Praise God if you are in the raft with Jesus, but let’s not watch others just float down the river. Let’s grab them up, love them well and pull them into the raft with Jesus too.
 
In Him,
Pastor Tim.