Peace and Justice for All

A wise judge once said, "it is not only necessary for justice to be done, but as importantly, it needs to be seen to be done."

Drawing from these wise words, as Christians, it is not only important to follow Christ in letter and spirit, but also to be seen as followers of Christ, in our behavior and our attitudes to fellow men. We ourselves are the biggest witnesses to Christ and we are also our own enemy. We may preach the best of sermons, be most devout in our day-to-day devotions or know the Bible verbatim, but if our language, behavior and attitude does not reflect Christ, it is all in vain.

Christ Himself spoke at length about the way we are to behave toward others; friends and enemies. More than that, however, the life He lived, accentuated by His love and compassion for the lost, provides the consummate example of what Christian behavior should look like, enabled by the Holy Spirit.

The best barometer is how one reacts or behaves when facing extreme pressure of a threat or a loss. Do we remain calm trusting in God or do we react with screaming, shouting, threatening and possibly worse?

If the Holy Spirit is living within us, the natural outpouring of behaviors will be “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). This will spread love, respect, peace and a spirit of justice towards all, bring glory to Gods name and most importantly give the world a glimpse of Gods character, building a bridge for others to know God as well.