In his prophecies, a shepherd named Amos described God’s grace. He said, “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).

English translations for the biblical meaning of the justice and righteousness described by Amos differ from our everyday usage and are somewhat incomplete. In the biblical sense, justice is an idea of fairness, receiving our due, or the conclusion of justice. In other words, a response that is right. Righteousness describes a core quality of God that includes holiness, faithfulness, integrity, and the life-giving power of restoration. God puts things in right relation, and we can share this quality with God.

The image of water rolling down is also about baptism. Lent, the current liturgical season, originated from the 40-day preparation for baptism. At the beginning of a baptism, parents or sponsors share the name of the baby, child, or adult being baptized. Names are important, because they become a part of our identity and connect us to the name giver. During baptism, we are called by name to be children of God.

One of the most influential writings in church history is the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. Throughout the letter, Paul repeats the theme that God’s love and salvation is available to all. Paul describes the new reality of the resurrection that connects God’s people to the love of Christ. Paul says that bond is unbreakable, even when it looks like we’ve have failed or God has been beaten. In times of hardship, God saves.

The Bible includes multiple instances of justice and righteousness being used together. When water rolls down, nothing pushes it. With Amos’s description of rolling water, we’re reminded that the connection to God and church is a process of relaxing into God’s grace, justice, and righteousness.

What is heaven like? Will we know our loved ones when we get to heaven? Jesus talked about the kingdom of heaven using parables. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. The kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who planted a field. The kingdom of heaven is like a pearl. Despite these teachings, we don’t have a concrete understanding of what the kingdom of heaven is like.

So, what does the Bible tell us about heaven? Scripture says, the kingdom of heaven is where God is the ruler, where God’s will is done, that exists now and not yet. However, when we think of heaven, we generally mean something specific in the afterlife. For example, a place of paradise, reward, happiness, or freedom from pain.

Many of us have likely formed beliefs about heaven, but we really can’t know if we’re right or wrong until we die. Jesus was the only one who died and came back to tell us about it, and he didn’t say much. Instead, Jesus focused on inviting us to follow him. Jesus repeatedly told us about God’s love, and we are like God when we are at our best—loving, peace-filled, courageous, and giving.

Ultimately, we can believe in the next life because Jesus said it was so. We can only trust that we will have closeness with God and that we will recognize our loved one who are already there. Guessing about what heaven is like from this side of the gave changes nothing, except everything that we believe about heaven in the next life affects our lives today. Like Jesus said, when we believe that heaven is where God’s will is done, then we start living today by doing God’s will today

God, how can we have faith in you? And how do we keep faith in times of difficulty? Trying to answer these questions of faith is a feat that leads to more questions. God, are you real? And if you are real, are you worth my loyalty?

At the start of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, everyone believed in God and people made decisions based on which church was truly following God. Then things changed. Use of the printing press spread, the Scientific Revolution began, democracy took root, and people started asking questions. For the first time, they stopped automatically assuming God existed.

Having faith begins with an awareness that both transcendent and imminent thinking exist. Transcendent thinking is the realm of spirituality, ideas, and cosmic order. The focus of imminent thinking is on earthiness, physicality, and natural order. In other words, it’s a comparison of things we can and cannot see.

In a quest for a perfect understanding of God, some people reject everything that is not religious and they do not tolerate questions. This behavior never works, because Jesus is the only person in Scripture who had perfect faith. Everyone else doubted or failed in some way. Trusting that God is real is to have confidence in something we cannot see.

If God is real, is God worth my loyalty? When we acknowledge that God is really the creator of the universe and the Savior who comforts and protects, loyalty to God makes sense. The question about faith in times of difficulty is really a question about loyalty. However, we have trust issues when bad things happen and God doesn’t intervene. Ultimately, God knows things we don’t and that power makes God worth our loyalty.

If you have questions and doubts about faith, it’s okay. God never promised to make our lives easy or pain free. Instead, God’s promise was to be with us, to comfort us, and save us for a mission worthy of our whole lives.