Great Power & Justice

via TJC

I am filled with power, filled with the Spirit of the LORD— And with justice and courage

To make known to Jacob his rebellious act, Even to Israel his sin. - Micah 3:8

In the previous chapters in Micah, The Spirit of the Lord pointedly speaks to the leaders. These leaders debased and corrupted His children. The list mirrors today’s current events: Leaders should enact justice, but instead encourage unjust anarchy. They hated good and loved evil. Micah sees this and knows his commission: to use his voice to provide Godly justice. It is incumbent upon us who are men to follow through on our daily battle order. Later in Micah 6, we read a reinforcement of this order. What does the Lord require from you, except to carry out justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

There was a woman in our church who had a history of causing strife in relationships. Being the youngest leader in the gathering, I wanted to observe the seasoned leadership work with the woman and the church. Leadership formulated a plan to help her stop this destructive behavior. Leadership would set time frames and benchmarks for her to follow. Though she would initially agree, after a time she would return to her destructive behavior.

Leadership had the power to care for the flock. But instead cared for public relations, refusing to follow through on enacting justice. They would NOT do the actual work to help this woman or those being abused by her. By continually avoiding loving justice, the leaders were enabling destructive behavior. Their goal was behavior modification. ‘Go and sin no more’ was not their DBO. Consider the words of Winston Churchill: ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ As a co-leader, eventually, I had to proceed with justice tempered with mercy found in Matthew 18.

Daily Battle Order

It is not justice to remain silent in the face of evil. Seeking personal comfort in the land of ‘I do not want to get involved’ is the domain of the cowardly. Men were created to lead, especially in murky times. To abdicate is the very definition of an effeminate male. Leaders have been given great power. And with great power comes great responsibility.