Total Pageviews

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

God's Justice Widens the Frame

 Readings 021126 

I don’t know if I see real justice in the world.
I see what some call justice,
but it is justice for the sake of winning,
not justice for the sake of truth.
I see anger in the streets,
force from the government,
voices shouting past one another—
and none looks like the justice God desires.

And maybe that’s why the Gospel matters so much today.
Because there’s a moment in every disciple’s life
when God widens the frame—
when the small truth we were holding
opens into something larger,
something more generous
than we ever expected.

Scripture shows it again and again.
God revealing Himself
not just to the insiders,
but to shepherds, to foreigners,
to the poor,
to the ones the world forgets.

And that’s the invitation:
to let God stretch our vision
the way He stretched theirs.
To see that grace is never a private treasure.
It’s a gift that wants to move outward,
a gift that grows only when shared.

And here is the deeper truth:
God’s justice is in all true justice.
Not the loud kind,
not the destructive kind,
not the kind that humiliates or harms.
True justice begins with this simple belief—
every person carries the image of God.
Every life has dignity.

True justice seeks the common good—
the flourishing of all.
It rejects the chaos that tears down society
and the power that crushes the vulnerable.
The common good needs order,
but it also needs compassion.
It needs laws,
but also mercy.
It needs security,
but never at the cost of human dignity.

Justice also carries two companions:
solidarity, which reminds us we belong to one another,
and subsidiarity, which reminds us that power must serve people,
not dominate them.

This is where Jesus’ words guide us:
“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,
and to God what is God’s.”
Give the world what belongs to the world—
your honesty, your responsibility, your civic duty.
But give God what belongs to God—
your conscience, your compassion,
your commitment to the dignity of every person.

So how do we render justice in a world like ours?
We refuse violence from any side.
We refuse to dehumanize anyone.
We let the Gospel—not politics—shape our conscience.
We stand with the vulnerable,
we lift up the lowly,
and we let our faith take flesh
in mercy, in solidarity,
in the simple courage
to show up for one another.

Because when God widens the frame,
He isn’t just revealing more of Himself.
He’s revealing who we’re meant to become.

Prayer

Lord, Widen the frame of my heart
until I see as You see.
Where the world shouts for victory,
teach me the quiet work of truth.
Where anger rises, plant Your mercy.
Where power crushes, lift the lowly.
Let Your justice—gentle, steadfast, shared—
take flesh in me today,
that I may honor Your image in every person.

Amen


Tuesday, February 10, 2026

The Heart God Calls Home

 

Readings 021026  

There is a truth running quietly through Scripture today—
a truth as old as Solomon’s temple
and as new as the breath you’re taking right now.

God does not seek a building.
God seeks a heart.

Solomon knew it.
He stood before the altar, hands lifted to heaven,
and dared to ask the question every believer eventually asks:
“Can it be that God dwells on earth?”
The heavens cannot contain Him—
yet He chooses to draw near.
Not because the temple is impressive,
but because the people are beloved.

And as the story unfolds,
Jesus steps into the scene
and makes the truth unmistakable:
God’s dwelling is not in the ritual,
but in the heart turned toward Him.

The Pharisees had clean hands but cluttered hearts.
They honored God with their lips
but kept Him at a distance inside.
Jesus wasn’t rejecting tradition—
He was rescuing it.
He was reminding them, and us,
that God is not moved by the shine of our actions
if our hearts remain untouched.

And this is where the message lands in our lives.
We abandon prayer when life gets hard.
We pull away from church
when the results aren’t quick or clear.
We drift toward whatever is easier, louder, faster—
whatever promises comfort without conversion.

But God does not dwell in the quick fix.
God dwells in the heart that stays.
The heart that listens.
The heart that bends.
The heart that keeps showing up
even when the feelings fade
and the answers are slow.

Holiness isn’t about performing perfectly.
It’s about returning faithfully.

God is not waiting for a flawless temple.
He is waiting for an honest heart—
a heart that says,
“Lord, I am here.
I am listening.
I am yours.”

Because the most beautiful dwelling place God desires
is not made of stone or gold—
it is made of you.

Prayer

Lord, make my heart Your home.
Clear what keeps me distant from You.
Teach me to stay when life grows heavy
and to listen when Your voice is soft.
Turn my wandering back to Your mercy
and steady me when I drift toward easier paths.
I offer not perfection, but a willing heart.
Be in me, dwell in me, and make me Yours.

Amen