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b'READ: PSALMS 9:7-10; 33:4-5; MICAH 6:8\\n\\n\\n\\nHe almost made it. My friend Cliff had almost sat all the way down in his desk when the tardy bell rang. But still, our ninth-grade civics teacher counted my friend late, and this carried a punishment: a 1000-word essay due the next day.\\n\\n\\n\\nLike most of us in the class, Cliff had arrived well before the late bell rang. He\\u2019d sat in his desk and pulled out his books\\u2014just like the rest of us. I had wanted to borrow a pen from my friend Melissa, who sat in front of Cliff. He\\u2019d offered to pass the pen from Melissa to me. This required him to get up from his desk, and as he returned to his seat he\\u2019d gotten caught by the bell.\\n\\n\\n\\nI approached the teacher to explain how Cliff had only been helping me; it was actually my fault Cliff was counted late. But the teacher wouldn\\u2019t budge. I couldn\\u2019t persuade him to reconsider or assign the punishment to me. I knew it wasn\\u2019t fair that Cliff would suffer for something that wasn\\u2019t his fault. Yet I couldn\\u2019t do anything about it.\\n\\n\\n\\nThis moment of unfairness in my civics class troubled me, but it soon passed. Cliff penned the essay and harbored no anger toward me; we moved on. But our world teems with injustice much deeper than this. And God takes note of it all.\\n\\n\\n\\nOur loving Lord cares about justice. In fact, He is enthroned as the Righteous Judge of all creation. And through Jesus\\u2019s death and resurrection, we can be counted as righteous before Him, and we can find hope knowing that Jesus will return to get rid of all injustice, permanently. In the meantime, God charges us to care about justice as He does. God has called us, His people, to be His agents for justice and righteousness on the earth\\u2014for one classmate in civics class or for people around the globe. As we do this, we can rest in His sure love and in the hope of Jesus\\u2019s return. \\u2022 Allison Wilson Lee\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 Are there problems in the world that frustrate or grieve you? What are some of them? Consider bringing these things to Jesus in prayer. He cares too\\u2014even more than we do.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 The big issues in the world can feel overwhelming, but what are some ways\\u2014big or small\\u2014that you could speak up for justice right where you are?\\n\\n\\n\\n\\u2022 If you want to learn more about how God defines justice, check out Isaiah 1:17, Zechariah 7:9, Proverbs 29:7, and Leviticus 19:15.\\n\\n\\n\\nRighteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Psalm 89:14 (NIV)'