“...but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth...” Jeremiah 9:24
God could solve a lot of his problems instantly. Instead, he practices love, justice, and righteousness.
When I assess a problem my impulse is to fix it immediately. So I must often fight against that as my default, initial response and learn to aim for something more, something beyond just fixing the problem: practicing the solution.
Practicing is that habitual, constant, and steady commitment to a future goal through a present activity. Practicing includes fixing a problem, but it also precedes and proceeds that. There are harder words that a young child won't be able to read if they don’t first start with learning and practicing easier words like “and”, “he”, “dad”, “is”, “great”.
If the problem is an offense, I can "fix it" with my forgiveness. But I must go beyond that; I must also practice the solution of becoming a forgiving person. Otherwise, I will eventually find forgiveness impossible, as futile as trying to draw water up from a dry well.
In order to love, show justice or be righteous when called for, I must practice (dig, cultivate, replenish, refresh) these things before and after the circumstance or problem calling for them arises. I must become the kind of tree that produces the kind of fruit that I want. It is difficult to tell the truth (fruit) if I’ve made a practice of lying (tree). But far more difficult is it to practice the truth if I don’t delight in the truth, if I'm not a lover of the truth.
To be a truth-lover, or a justice-lover, or a forgiveness-lover, you must be a God-lover. To be a God-lover means to delight in God, to understand and know him. He is the sum and total of truth, the source and substance of love, the foundation and fountain of justice and mercy, kindness and forgiveness, holiness and righteousness. If I delight in him, I will delight in what he delights in; I will practice what he practices.
Delight in God is a far better and more insightful and faithful practitioner than our own wisdom or strength or resources. "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,..." (Jeremiah 9:23). We might be able to temporarily fix our problems, but the ultimate solution to lasting change is not found in us. "...but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (9:24)
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