This month, our character focus is Justice. The operational definition of justice is “personal responsibility to uphold God’s unchanging laws.”

The word justice usually brings to mind judges, courtrooms, and police officers. However, justice goes beyond the duty of God-given rulers to govern citizens by man’s law and extends to the duty of every individual to govern himself righteously in light of God’s Law. In order to become familiar with God’s laws and principles, we must diligently read and meditate on His Word. We can have peace and security knowing that God’s Word does not change as cultural standards, preferences, and even man’s laws, vary over time.

Justice is often confused with fairness. While justice is impartial and based on stated standards of expectation, fairness tends to be based on inconsistent emotions, personal experiences, or popular opinions. Justice delivers clearly defined consequences for one’s actions, while fairness may yield the same results for everyone regardless of their actions. Rather than basing your decisions on the feelings and emotions of fairness, you can base your decisions on what God’s Word says.