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b'READ: ISAIAH 61:8; JEREMIAH 22:3; MATTHEW 23:23\\n\\n\\n\\nIt\\u2019s discouraging to see so much evil in the world. Evil and sin have been a part of the world for a long time, but as I get older, I notice it more than when I was a kid. I hear news about corruption, poverty, or health crises...and it can really get me down.\\n\\n\\n\\nIt can be easy to see all this evil and either choose not to believe there\\u2019s a God, or to think that God doesn\\u2019t care\\u2014just look at how bad the world is. But Scripture tells me that God does care. He hates evil. It breaks His heart to see His creation suffering, and one day He\\u2019s going to get rid of all evil permanently.\\n\\n\\n\\nI\\u2019ve spent a little time in some of the minor prophet books of the Bible recently, and those books frequently show how vehemently opposed God is to evil. God despises evil and promises to bring down these ancient empires that were built on greed and oppression (Nahum 2). Through the prophets, God foretells the justice He will bring and the restoration that will come after.\\n\\n\\n\\nPart of this restoration has already happened through Jesus Christ. After Jesus defeated sin and death and evil through His own death and resurrection, our relationship with God was righted. Our sin was paid for, and we were able to be accepted into God\\u2019s family. And one day, God\\u2019s justice will come in full, and He will right all wrongs and rid the world of all evil, and our struggle with sin will finally be over.\\n\\n\\n\\nSo, it\\u2019s not a question of \\u201cDoes God care?\\u201d anymore. With the knowledge of Scripture, now it\\u2019s a question of \\u201cWhen will God\\u2019s justice come in full?\\u201d And even as we wait for the day Jesus will come again, we can participate in God\\u2019s kingdom here and now, acting in love and justice with confident hope for the future. \\u2022 Naomi Zylstra\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Can you think of a time you felt discouraged when you saw evil in the world\\u2014either on the news, in your community, or in your own life? Jesus weeps with you. You can bring these feelings to Him in prayer anytime.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 What opportunities and skills has God given you to pursue justice right where you are, at this time of your life? Who are trusted Christians you can talk to about this?\\n\\n\\n\\nThe Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:5 (NIV)'