In Psalm 89 the writer shares this:

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

When I look at the world today I see a longing for these very things. When people rant about their political ideals, they’re longing for justice or righteous behavior on the part of others. When we read the news and see atrocities committed against people, we long for the offenders to be brought to justice.

There is no worldly fix for the all the problems we face in life. The steadfast love and faithfulness of God are the only things that can solve our worldwide problems. But the earth is not a final resting place for all of its inhabitants! While we should work for justice in the world today, loving the orphan and the widow, we ought not to do it from the perspective that we’re simply making their lives here easier, or preparing them to have greater earthly success.

In the grand scheme our helping of others ought to be done in as an act of love to the great Lover, Jesus himself. In the midst of all our service and seeking after justice, we ought to know exactly why we are engaging in whatever activities we are involved in.

Are we doing things in order to check some items off our moral to-do list? Are we involved in church activities because we need to feel good about ourselves? Or do we have hearts aligned with our King, whose heart longs for righteousness and justice? Anytime is a good time to examine our own motives and to try to align ourselves to the heart of God.