Fits the Crime

Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. 4He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: 5“Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” 6And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice. (Psalm 50:3-6)

Kids are funny, especially in school. You can divide them into three groups: compliant, non-compliant, and in-betweeners. The compliant ones, who make up most of the class, are good kids with moderate to great learning skills. The non-compliant are testers, who test every boundary and rule established. Sometimes the non-compliant are smart. Sometimes they are the class clowns with true wit. Sometimes they are just angry. The non-compliant run few in number, but they can influence the next group and ruin your class environment. In-betweeners are those who are swayed by either side, depending on the class make up. 

As a principal, when they are sent to you for disciplinary purposes, you handle what these kids did based on merit. Do they really deserve to be in my office? Most of the time, definitely, but there are those times when they are sent because the teacher is just having a bad day or they are caught up in the group. As the principal, you have to judge and decide an appropriate punishment for the situation. You want the punishment to fit the infraction. 

God will judge His people: believers and non-believers alike. His judgment will be a righteous judgment. His justice swift and certain. In this passage, God is to judge Israel. Now, those who believe in the saving works of Christ are His people, who will be clothed in grace when Christ returns to judge the world. We pray that we do proclaim His righteousness to others who do not believer, either by choice or by not having heard the promise of God's salvation.

We pray that the Spirit move them to faith to enjoy the fruits of a faithful life as well as eternity with Christ.