www.bible.com/reading-plans/13952/day/2

The word “justice” is much talked about these days. There is the feeling that justice has been perverted, that there is no real justice. Our understanding of justice is clouded by the actions of those who do not support what true justice is. God is just; He would be totally just in destroying the earth right now, just as in the days of Noah. Instead, He reached out and provided grace and mercy for us in the form of His own Son. It’s difficult for us to fathom what justice would look like if it were meted fairly to all, but that is what God’s justice is all about. But if you explore the Old Testament and the many times that God destroyed an entire group of people because of their sin, or when the Israelites and then those in Judah were taken captive, we see a clear picture that God will not be mocked. We have earned His justice, but He offers us His grace in place of it. It is our choice to accept it or not. I am blessed to have received God’s grace and mercy, His free gift of salvation, over five decades ago. But my story does not end there. Every day is a new day to say “yes” to God and “no” to my own desires. God’s mercy is indeed new every day and we can all be grateful that He loves us enough to show us His mercy instead of His justice. One day His judgment against all of mankind will come, but if you have accepted His gift of salvation, His justice is not to be feared, but rather to be welcomed because it means that we who know the Lord as Savior will be able to live with Him forever. Yes, we have earned justice, but thanks be to God that He has shown us His love and mercy and called us His own. God’s great love for mankind reaches out in love while He holds back His mighty hand of justice until the time is right for His judgment. Why is He waiting? Because He is God and justice and judgment are His choice in His time. I believe, and I think that others believe the same, that God is waiting until as many as possible come to the knowledge of His grace. He does not want to destroy His beloved creation, but one day He will. We will stand before God without excuse because He provided the only way to Him, the way to escape His justice, and so many have turned away and chosen to live in sin instead. May we ever be mindful of the fact that we have earned God’s justice, but He extends His mercy and grace.