justice Archives – CadreMen Press Devotionals

Hear The Conclusion

Hear The Conclusion by Kirk Hunt

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

The conclusion of the affairs of men and women is in the judgment and declarations of God. Our God, omniscient and omnipotent, sees and measures what we do. You will stand before His Throne and give account for all of your life, seen or hidden.

If you live righteously and build His kingdom, He sees. If you live in disobedience and rebellion, He sees. And His voice will be the conclusion of the matter.

Do not fret that the wicked seem to escape judgment. Do not worry that the righteous go unrewarded. God sees everyone’s secrets and hidden things. His justice will not be denied.

For a righteous man or woman, these verses are a comforting promise. The work no one recognized is seen and will be rewarded by Father-God. The secret sacrifices will be rewarded by God Himself, sooner than you think.

Alone before God’s throne, everything will be revealed and you will give account. Then He will speak and conclude the matter. For men and women who live according to the Bible and God’s calling, His judgment and justice will be a blessing.

Think: I will hear God’s conclusion about my life and work.

Pray: “Father-God, help me to live so I hear Your good conclusion of my life.”

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

Are You Persuaded?

Are You Persuaded? by Kirk Hunt

Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’

Luke 16:29-31 NKJV
Please also read Luke 16:19-31

The parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus has always haunted me. Simply put, Jesus is telling us that there are limits to grace and mercy. Those who are not persuaded will be prosecuted. It takes an overt act of mercy or grace when our holy and just God withholds justice and judgment.

Mercy is not receiving the punishment or penalties you earned. Grace is receiving gifts and benefits you do not merit. Mercy and grace suspend, or refuse, justice and judgment.

At Psalm 103:8-10, King David explained simply: God will not restrain His anger indefinitely. You can listen voluntarily now or be compelled before His judgment throne. Do the math.

Being teachable does not make a man or woman weak or gullible. We listen to wisdom, and compare it with scripture, think carefully, and pray thoroughly. Then we make a decision.

You have been exposed to Scripture and Godly teachers. Are you persuaded? When judgment and prosecution come, it will then be too late.

Think: God speaks through scripture and teachers. Are you listening?

Pray: “Lord, guide me to Your truth and make me teachable.”

Be No More

Be No More by Kirk Hunt

Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.

I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.

Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

Psalms 37:34-36 NKJV

It sometimes seems that nothing can touch or impact the wicked. Do not be fooled, God’s justice and judgment cannot be delayed forever. The villains will (suddenly) be no more.

I confess, my heart and spirit too often look on with frustration and aggravation. The wicked and unrighteous seem to enjoy wealth and ease with impunity. It seems, to my natural eyes, that the villains are having a good time and winning easily.

Of course, I have to stop and see the situation with spiritual eyes. God’s faithful people possess now, and will inherit, good things and blessed circumstances. No matter how large wicked men and women live, they will disappear with hardly a trace.

My job is to carefully work out my soul’s salvation. If I can help anyone else reach Jesus, I am blessed in great measure. In the meanwhile, I do not have the luxury of worrying, from a distance, about the spiritual lives of other men and women.

Scripture promises we will all reap what we sow. The wicked will get their harvest, sooner or later. In the meanwhile, I am sowing as much good for His Kingdom as I can.

Think: No matter what they do, I must remain a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

Pray: “Lord, help me keep my eyes on You.”

And Swallowed Them

And Swallowed Them by Kirk Hunt

Now it came to pass, as he [Moses] finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them [the rebels], and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.

Numbers 16:31-32 NKJV
Please read also Numbers 16:1-40

Korah’s rebellion against Moses had a deadly, clear-cut resolution. The dirt beneath the feet of the rebels and mutineers split open, swallowed them, then closed again. The mutineers, their family members, and even their possessions, disappeared in a moment. Please read Numbers 16:1-40 for the complete account.

Why did Korah rebel against Moses? At Jude 1:11, Korah’s rebellion is associated with other notorious sinners and their sins of greed: Cain the brother slayer; Balaam the spiritual sell-sword. Whatever his reasons, Korah, and 250 other men, were destroyed with their families. No one could deny their destruction as a clear move of God. Whatever their motivations, God judged their actions with harsh finality.

There was time between the start of the rebellion and their punishment by God. I believe there was time and opportunity (Numbers 16:16, 23-24) for Korah or his mutineers to repent and receive mercy. Instead of confessing error and sin, the rebels pushed ahead to God’s sovereign judgment.

Often, men and women get minutes, or hours, to confess before God and withdraw from their sin and rebellion. Too often, rebels push ahead to God’s final and very public judgment. In this pause, have you re-considered what you are doing?

Think: Father-God am I in Your will, or am I in rebellion?

Pray: “Lord, help me to be in Your Will and not in rebellion against You.”

Cleansing The Temple

Cleanse The Temple by Kirk Hunt

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

Matthew 21:12-13 NKJV

Jesus drove out the money changers. And the animal sellers. He cleansed the Temple with violent (intense, turbulent, furious and likely destructive) action.

Scripture does not report that anyone was killed or wounded, so some argue that Jesus was not “truly” violent. Men in mid-transaction left money and merchandise and fled. I doubt that a polite request was the reason they left so suddenly.

Many Bible scholars and historians assert that Jesus’ disruption of the commerce happening on the Temple grounds is the trigger event for His crucifixion. The High Priest and the elite leadership decided that Jesus had to die, because of the money. Real action that accomplishes something will make enemies.

Jesus reacted to injustice (theft) against faithful Jewish pilgrims plus violation of the sanctity of the Temple. People should have been praying in reverent quiet. Instead, the Temple was a common swap meet.

Circumstances will not change until you take action. The action you take will upset someone. Are you pleasing them or pleasing God?

Think: Righting an injustice, like cleansing the Temple, may take forceful action.

Pray: “Lord, give me the courage to uphold Your righteousness and justice.”

Fear And Reverence

Fear And Reverence by Kirk Hunt

So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.

Jonah 1:15–16 NKJV

Jonah hit the water and everything changed. The murderous storm instantly dissipated. The howling wind became a whispering breeze. The towering waves that threatened to smash the hull vanished. God’s demonstration of His naked power and command over creation invoked fear and reverence from the sailors.

Fear can be defined as “profound reverence and awe especially toward God.” The sailors watched someone switch off a major tempest like flipping a switch. That is not the action of a mere man or an accident. The God who can do that has my awe, for sure.

Father-God loves us like a father. Like any good father, He is often gentle and tender with us. But God so much more than a mere father.

God’s power over all creation demands our awe. His holiness deserves our reverence. The level of awe and reverence you feel toward our all-powerful God should be overwhelming at times. Call it fear if you must. The sailors would.

They responded, the way I hope you respond, to seeing God’s power at its most unrestrained. Reverent worship and awestruck adoration is the only reasonable response to all that God is and can do. With a little more fear of God in his life, Jonah may not have wound up overboard.

Think: Does God have my reverence? Does God have my awe?

Pray: “Lord, You are worthy of all of my awe and reverence.”

Calm Your Storm

Calm Your Storm by Kirk Hunt

Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

Jonah 1:14–15 NKJV
Please also read Jonah 1:1–17

Rank pagans trembled while God’s prophet stood in calm stillness. The deck pitched violently as the storm continued to rage, threatening the lives of all aboard. To restore calm, all the sailors had to do was throw a man overboard.

Jonah, a prophet of God, had attempted to flee from his calling and assignment. God had sent him to Nineveh (see northern Iraq) but Jonah willfully tried to sail to Tarshish (far western Mediterranean). The storm that enveloped the ship was only a small reflection of God’s judgment and displeasure with his disobedient man.

What task has God given you? Are you working toward your assignment or trying to run away? Following God’s purpose will lead to calm and peace. Sin and rebellion will generate storms and turmoil in your soul. And the people around you may have to suffer along with you.

God’s purpose is rarely the easy way, but there is always joyous calm on His path. His love for us is great and He wants us to experience the blessings of obedience. And there is love in His correction. He will patiently and lovingly discipline you as long you think it is necessary.

Father-God loved Jonah too much to let him continue in sin and disobedience. The sailors were ready to be obedient and save the ship and their lives. Finally, Jonah decided he was ready to throw his sin and rebellion overboard. Are you ready for calm in your soul?

Think: What do I need to throw overboard to restore God’s calm in my life?

Pray: “Lord, help me throw distraction, sin and error out of my life.”

See With His Eyes

See With His Eyes by Kirk Hunt

Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

Judges 16:21 NKJV

After all of the damage Samson had inflicted on the Philistines, they took poetic revenge. They put out his eyes, which led him once and again, into error and sin. Then, the burner of fields made flour for his enemies (for the rest of his life).

Walking in a circle, in the darkness, Samson had time. Time to think. Time to remember. Time to get serious with God.

Mortal men or women might have left Samson alone and defenseless, in the hands of his tormentors. God instead came close, then embraced and spoke with the man he still loved. Despite his rebellion and disobedience, Samson remained God’s beloved son.

Samson’s eyes were not restored, but his relationship with God was healed. Alone among his enemies, he dwelled securely in the hands of the Most High. A good father loves all of his children, not just the well-behaved ones. A father loves most when he disciplines his children.

Look at yourself through God’s eyes. He sees your sin. He sees your error. Still, He loves you. As you serve your sentence, He looks out for you, even when you cannot (or will not) look out for yourself.

Samson served his prison sentence with Father-God at his side. His eyes never looked away from Samson. His eyes will never look away from you. Are you looking to Him?

Think: Despite my circumstances I can have relationship with God, if I choose Him.

Pray: “Lord, forgive my sin. Help me to draw close to you.”

He Did Not Know

He Did Not Know by Kirk Hunt

And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

Judges 16:20 NKJV

Samson woke up and engaged with his enemies, but he did not know. As a man of God, he should have known that God’s Spirit and power had left him. His education and experiences should have told him that he was being set up, again, by a betrayer. He ran headlong into a trap and defeat.

Samson’s humiliation (and mutilation), at a minimum, should have impossible or at least more difficult. Instead he has become a byword for wasted potential and squandered opportunity. A man born a Nazarite ignored his upbringing. Intended for greatness in God, he ended humbled in prison.

Samson used God’s power and strength through God’s mercy and grace. God is full of love and tenderness for us, but He is also a God of justice and judgment. God eventually moves against deliberate sin and error. Psalm 103:9 warns us: He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever.

So God withdrew from Samson. He allowed Samson to operate without Him. Deliberate sin and disobedience is a way of telling God you do not need Him or you know better. And Samson learned the truth.

We have all sinned and fallen short. After your error, do you repent and try to do better? Do you deliberately sin again and assume God is still with you? You may not know the truth when you start, but you will know at the end.

Think: Do I know the truth of how close I am to God?

Pray: “Lord, forgive my sin. Help me to be Your obedient child and know Your truth.”

Gathering The Spoil

Gathering The Spoil by Kirk Hunt

When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much.

2 Chronicles 20:25 NKJV

Jehoshaphat and Judah faced extermination. A massive, three-nation alliance army from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir were marching against Jerusalem. Soon, the victors would be gathering the spoil from the dead bodies of the vanquished.

God’s people often face extreme circumstances. The king and people of Judah faced a malicious and murderous force, larger than they could defeat. Faced with more than he could handle, Jehoshaphat ran to The Temple and pled his case to God.

“The battle is not yours, but God’s.” As part of His victory, there will be spoils, goods and valuables taken from the defeated. Your part is to obey God’s Word to you. And pick through the remains of your enemies.

Too often, modern saints face circumstances we cannot defeat: The medical report. A court verdict. The broken relationship.

The battle is not yours, but God’s. You will have cleanup work after He is done. Be grateful, and humble, considering all you will gain.

God’s people are to be active and engaged in their own lives. Still, more often than we like to admit, that means standing patiently and obediently as God fights His battle for us. If you are truly one of God’s people, the threat against your existence makes it God’s battle.

Think: The battle is not mine, but God’s. I just have to clean up afterwards.

Pray: “Lord, help me to faithfully and patiently let You fight Your battles.”

Wait Patiently For God’s Justice

Wait Patiently For God’s Justice by Kirk Hunt

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

Psalm 37:7 NKJV

King David would understand how you feel. It can seem that folk like Nabal, King Saul and even David’s son Absalom seemed to be getting away with all the sin and wickedness. Wait patiently. God’s justice will arrive for all concerned.

Consider Nabal, the man who accepted David’s protection and support. Given a polite request for provisions Nabal not only selfishly refused but was insulting and rude. Protected from David’s rage, Nabal was not protected from God’s justice. God Himself struck Nabal and he died.

King Saul, David’s king and father-in-law, unjustly hunted David across hills and fields. Still, given more than one opportunity to kill his tormentor, David righteously withheld his hand and that of others. In 1 Samuel 26:10, David prophesied Saul’s ending, orchestrated by God. And it was so.

Even David’s own son, Absalom, tried to murder him and steal the Kingdom. Even as he out maneuvered the mutiny and crushed the opposition, David was desperate to save Absalom’s life. David wept bitterly at his son’s death, despite his own danger.

In each episode, it seemed that wicked folk were winning against David. In each case, David did the right thing and God gave him victory. David’s righteous actions and patience made the difference. God is love, but He is also justice. It is just a matter of time.

Think: God’s justice will come. Am I doing the correct things while I wait?

Pray: “Lord, help me to be patient but steadfast in waiting for Your justice.”

Yet He Passed Away

Yet He Passed Away by Kirk Hunt

I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

Psalm 37:35-36 NKJV
Please also read Psalm 37:1–40

Too often, I despair that the wicked are winning. I have caught myself fretting that the ruthless and unscrupulous are being established, never to be dislodged. Then, suddenly, they pass away and can not be found, even if you wanted to see them.

I am not the first God-follower to think so. Psalm 37, written by David, speaks to my own concerns. The wicked may indeed prosper for a season, but not they shall not triumph. No matter how it looks now, God’s justice is on the way.

In my own life, I have seen men and women suddenly receive justice. Before, it seemed the wicked ones were immune to the laws of God and man. After, I trembled at the thoroughness of God’s sovereign and merciless justice.

On bended knee, I pray that I live in obedience to His Word and law. I never want to be the one that God’s people cry out against. I want always to be found, doing Kingdom work the way God wants it done.

Play it straight, since God is watching. Follow God’s Word and law, the way you know it should be done. His sword of justice is quick, terrible and not to be denied by mere humans.

Think: The wicked will receive justice, sooner and more thoroughly than you think.

Pray: “Lord, help me to be found at all times as Your obedient servant.”