I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise. (Psalm 101:1)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 101
I recently heard this quote from a popular animated movie as my daughter was watching it on a road trip: "It’s hard to love your job when people hate you for doing it.” As a local church pastor and community leader, it struck me as one of those phrases that is a bit of an exaggeration with a kernel of truth in it. When good leaders make difficult decisions, they consistently attempt to balance love (care and concern for the individual) with justice (what’s right for everyone). This struggle is found in every kind of leadership situation—in parenting, relationships, organizations, or communities.
God does not struggle to balance love and justice like we do. God is at once perfectly loving toward his creation while also remaining perfectly just in his statutes and commands. If you’ve ever had to lead something you know how difficult this is! The psalmist loudly praised God for being our perfect example of leadership, deserving of praise.
When you recognize what God has done for us, we can praise him for his love; when we see how God deals with us graciously, we can praise him for his justice. I look forward to the day when Jesus returns and establishes his reign and rule of love and justice forever.
Follow God’s example of balanced love and justice.
Chris McFadden is pastor of Cherry Street Wesleyan in Ottawa, Kansas. He is married to his beautiful wife Suzanne and has two wonderful daughters.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
