Justice rolling like a river...

"But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" - Amos 5:24 (NIV)

I love the comparison Amos makes of justice to a river. Rivers are steady and bring life and replenishment to the land. Rivers follow a constant path and provide sustenance to the thirsty. And at times, rivers absolutely overwhelm the land by their flooding. It's at these times of flooding that we realize despite the dams or the levees we build that rivers are beyond our control...they go beyond our ability to manage and contain.

It's important to note that Amos doesn't tell the Hebrews to "create justice" or "start justice" or "come up with justice". No, he says to "let justice roll..." You see, God's justice is always there and always flowing...the problem is we dam it up. We quench it. We prevent it from reaching the people who need it. There are times that we do that intentionally, there are times that we do that out of lazy apathy, and there are times that we do it simply because we don't know better. Regardless of why this quenching occurs, though, Amos tells the Hebrews (and American Christians) to let justice roll!

We live in a world that is "parched" with people in need, people who are hungry and thirsty, people who are suffering from various types of injustice and oppression. Billions of God's children throughout the world and in our own community are hurting.

I encourage you to consider how we have quenched God's justice or prevented His justice from rolling on to those in need. Also, consider how we can live in such a way that we let justice roll on like a river...how can we join in with God and His justice? (Feel free to privately reflect on these thoughts, and also feel free to post a reply...sharing our thoughts and reflections with one another is very helpful in us growing as a group!)