Rolling on like a River

“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-falling stream!”

~ Amos 5:24

 

In the words of Francis Chan, one of my favorite Christian authors and speakers, “We all know there’s a problem.” While the world we live in is full of beauty, it’s also full of brokenness. While we try to build bridges of peace and understanding, too many of our interactions gape with selfishness and triviality. While we have countless opportunities to fill ourselves with the joy we crave, many of us go to bed each night feeling empty. So . . . there’s definitely a problem, and we all claim to know its source. Some blame it on “the inherent immorality of society,” others on “the corrupt nature of our politics,” and others on “anyone whose views differ from my own.” I tend to disagree with all of these theories, at least to an extent. Although I will admit that immorality and corruption are prevalent issues, I look at them in a slightly different light; perhaps it’s not about the bad things that we are doing, and more about the good things that we’re not doing. Our lands are dry, and our people are thirsting for more. So is cleaning up our language and changing our political affiliation really going to bring abundance back to our land? Call me crazy, but I’m thinking not.

 

In its most authentic form, faith is not something that compels us to follow a set of intricately developed rules. It’s something that compels us to take action against injustice and oppression. We are saved by faith alone, but James 2:14-17 reminds us of an important principle that we often forget, or at least conveniently overlook: “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but it doesn’t show by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’- but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? You see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” Dead and useless, like a riverbed with no water, a painful reminder of an endless drought.

 

I’ll be the first to admit that my actions, or lack thereof, contribute to society’s problems. At times, I am the problem. I’m the problem when I act like my own issues are so much more important than the ones of those around me. I’m the problem when I turn a blind eye to the homeless man on the street. I’m the problem when I hoard by wealth for myself rather than sharing it with those in need. I’m the problem when I allow my brothers and sisters in Christ to make a hateful comment about a person or a generalization about a group of people. I’m the problem when I let my fear inhibit me from taking action, even when I am perfectly capable of doing so. I need to stop. I need to let a love for those in need to rain down on me, washing away the soil of self-centeredness that is crusted on my heart. Because if we claim to be Christians and our lives don’t show it, then we really need to reconsider whether or not we can actually call ourselves followers of Christ.

 

It’s relatively easy to follow rules. It’s even easier to dedicate our lives to making sure everyone else’s lives meet our expectations of “moral living.” It’s much more difficult to abandon our selfish ambitions and live in such a way that displays the truth that the son of God poured out his life for us, as undeserving as we are, and now desires for us to pour out our lives for others, no matter how undeserving they might seem. Only then will justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like a never-falling stream. Only then will fresh waters return to our parched and weary land, even if it only happens one drop at a time.