JanBeek

Day #10 in the A – Z series, “What Makes Me Happy?”

JUSTIFICATION

Why would justification make me happy? What does it mean?  Print that is justified is even on the right and the left margins. There are no ragged edges. Most books are written with the print justified. Newspaper columns are justified.  The Bible’s print is justified in its columns, except for books like Proverbs, whose genre is poetry. Justified print is a neat and trim way to look at a page, isn’t it? But that’s not why it makes me happy. Stay with me!

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To make my point you need to realize on the other hand,
that if you set the print to the left, the edges on the right are ragged.
A crooked right margin is typical when you are letter writing.
Where else do you see print that is left-margin justified?

If you set the print to the right,
then the left margin will be crooked,
but the right margin will be straight.
A rare form, indeed, except
in some creative poetry.

Poetry often
is written with centered print
This is a Haiku

How does all this talk about justification of print apply to my life? I want to know my life is  justified. No ragged edges. Clean on both sides, inside and outside. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justification gives me peace. Peace makes us all happy!

Jesus

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It’s not the event of the death of Jesus that makes me happy, of course. But His death was an important part of the equation. It is the Grace of God given to me in the form of the Holy Spirit as a result of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection… that’s what makes me happy. Through it, I am free! God’s gift to humankind was to free us from guilt and the penalty of sin through the sacrifice of His Son. Through Him, we are justified. I am not sure (are you?) how people face the death of a loved one – or their own mortality –  if they do not have faith in the promise of eternal life. We need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Heaven is our eternal home, made ours through Christ and His sacrifice. My joy is made complete in my love of the Lord. Jesus is my ultimate happiness.

Justice

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Scales of Justice

It is no coincidence that Justice and Justification have the same root. In our current culture of right vs. left, JUSTICE demands vindication of the right… the correct! Not left vs. right, but right vs. wrong! The scales above are pitifully dirty. We need the scales of our justice system to be clean inside and outside, to be fair, to be even, no ragged edges. Straight on both sides… no partiality. We need to be assuring the public that indeed, this is the case. Straight, honest on all sides. No leaning left, to make the right crooked. No leaning right, to make the left ragged. Don’t even stay center, trying to please both sides, because then both sides are compromised. Justice needs justification… freedom from prejudice or inequality or irresponsibility. A focus on what is fair and correct. Only then will the TRUTH be served so peace can reign. Only then is there True Justice.

True Justice makes me happy.

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What “J” word makes YOU happy?