That's Not Fair!

Opening Prayer:  Almighty God, thank You for always being fair and faithful to us. Amen.

Scripture:  Psalm 96.13

For he comes, for he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness. 

Meditation:

One of the simplest ways to show someone that God does exist is to remind them of the concept of "fairness."  We all believe in it, and we expect everyone else to believe in it.  But where did it come from?  The Bible says that it came from God who wrote the law on our hearts (Romans 2.15).  When people act unfairly, we don't like it because deep down we know that God doesn't like it either.  

There is a lot of unfairness in this world!  In school children who disobey sometimes don't get caught. At other times those who did nothing wrong get blamed!  Every day in courtrooms judges hear complaints about unfairness.  They do their best to sift out the truth from the lies.  But even they have difficulty determining what is fair.  Worse than that there are many people in this world that hate God's ideas of fairness.  They deliberately rebel against His justice and try to use their power to force their own ideas of fairness.  They hurt, steal and even murder and claim that everything they've done was just and fair.  It seems as though no one can stop them.  

The Bible tells us, however, that won't go on forever.  God is coming to judge the world in righteousness.  We should pray for those people that they would stop believing their own lies and believe in God.  We should also pray that God would always keep us in mind of His justice, that we would always repent when we've been unfair, and that with His help we might always strive to do what us good, right and salutary (useful).  

Jesus came to bring peace on earth. The first peace He brings is the peace we have with God through the forgiveness of sins because of His death on the cross. When He comes again on the Last Day, He will bring the peace of His justice.

For Discussion:
1. When was the last time you said, "That's not fair!"  What wasn't fair?  Why? Was the problem resolved fairly?

2.  How can we strive to uphold God's fairness?  (Read the Bible to understand it better. Pray for God to give us honesty about ourselves and about others.)

Closing Prayer:  Dear God, help me to be fair in all my thoughts, words and actions. Help me to be patient when others aren't fair and to look to You to bring justice and peace. Amen.  

Hymn:  "Judge Eternal, Throned in Splendor"

Can be sung to the tune "Westminster Abbey" (Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence).


Judge eternal, throned in splendor,
Lord of lords and King of kings,
With Thy living fire of judgment
Purge this realm of bitter things;
Solace all its wide dominion
With the healing of Thy wings.

Still the weary folk are pining
For the hour that brings release;
And the city’s crowded clangor
Cries aloud for sin to cease;
And the homesteads and the woodlands
Plead in silence for their peace.

Crown, O God, Thine own endeavor;
Cleave our darkness with Thy sword;
Feed the faint and hungry peoples
With the richness of Thy Word;
Cleanse the body of this nation
Thro’ the glory of the Lord.