As parents, we have to make judgements all day long.  Your child does something that you deem right and you as the parent (judge) have to decide whether it is deserving of a reward. Or your child does something wrong and you as the parent (judge) have to decide whether it is deserving of punishment.  In my 24 years of parenting, I have had this role of judge thrust upon me more times than I can count.  My prayer is that I am JUST in my parenting.  

I have a sweet story about this with my youngest daughter, Gwendolyn.  

Several years ago, my precious girl had done something deserving of punishment.  I took her up to my room to discipline her. As she was fighting me, I felt an overwhelming sense that I needed to extend grace to her.  I said, “Gwendolyn, mommy is not going to give you what you deserve.  I am going to extend grace to you.” I shared with her about how Jesus extended His grace to me by saving me when I did not deserve it and how He extends His grace to me every day when I don’t deserve it.  I thought I had explained things pretty well.  She seemed to understand and fell into my arms and was submissive to me again. I told her that she could go and play.  Gwendolyn proceeded to go downstairs and sit in the entryway of our home.  After about an hour, I asked her what she was doing.  She said, “Mama, you said you were going to give Grace to me and so I am waiting for her to come over.”  Grace was a neighbor girl who Gwendolyn loved being with.  It was one of the sweetest moments in my mothering, but I obviously had more work to do to explain to her what grace means.  Since then, the Lord has extended His grace to this precious girl of mine and she is living for Him. With that, we turn once again to who God is and who you are in Him.

Who is God? He is JUST & He is the JUSTIFIER

The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are JUST; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:4

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are JUSTIFIED by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be JUST and the JUSTIFIER of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26

Who are you in Him? You are JUSTIFIED by faith into His grace.

Therefore, since we have been JUSTIFIED by faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and werejoicein hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been JUSTIFIED by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:1-10

If you are not believing by faith or are waffling in your faith, know this:

The LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you for the LORD is a God of JUSTICE; How blessed are all those who long for Him.  Isaiah 30:18 

So, today is the day, do not delay to submit to the One who is JUST.  Trust Him for your salvation and you will not receive what you deserve which is His wrath, but instead you will receive God’s grace through His Son, Jesus.

I will post the song “Amazing Grace” by Chris Tomlin

Blessings to you!

When you pray….

1. Praise the Lord that He is just and that in Him you have been justified.
2. Pray for you spouse and children.
3. It is Monday, so pray for your immediate extended family; parents, siblings, nieces & nephews