What Does the Lord Require of Us?

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Scripture: Micah 6:8 (ESV)

8  He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

       but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

Devotion:

            In this short but powerful verse, God himself speaks these words through the mouthpiece of His prophet, Micah. God has just finished telling the people that He does not need their animal and oil sacrifices, no matter how vast the quantity. The people he addressed had mistaken ideas of what God required from them in their worship. God had told and shown them all through their history of walking with Him that He cared more for the state of their souls than all the sacrifices they could offer Him.     

            Don’t we make the same mistake today? It seems the church always stresses the form and content of its worship service more than the state of the souls participating in it. As a result, many of God’s saints try to conjure feelings out of their own flesh rather than bringing themselves before God honestly to worship and letting God take control so we may worship Him in spirit and truth. We are afraid to show weariness or depression before God's people, forgetting the freedom and joy we have in genuine worship. Let us remember that God desires our hearts, not just our rituals.

Some try to impress by writing large checks in hopes that God will be pleased with their generosity. They forget the story of the poor widow, whom Jesus observed dropping two small copper coins in the collection. Jesus notes that this poor woman has contributed everything she had to live on while the others gave out of their abundance. Giving of any amount is acceptable to God, but what truly pleases Him is a real sacrifice, not merely a show put on for God and man. As this scripture says, God has made clear the way to please Him with our lives and our worship. Let us remember that true worship requires personal commitment and selflessness. 

What does doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God look like in this 21st-century world? Doing justice always takes discernment and good judgment. Biblical justice is more than just being fair to one another—although that is included in justice. God’s view of justice contains a sense that all parties are treated honestly and fairly so that God is pleased. What about kindness, then? Kindness is in short supply in our modern world. It is simply not a concept that many choose to practice. However, being genuinely kind to one another and treating each person with the dignity and respect required by the other party because they are created in the image and likeness of God. Let us be the ones to bring kindness back into the world, to show compassion and understanding to those around us. Finally, walking humbly with God means not demanding to be treated in a certain way because we are Christ-followers. If we draw near to God, we have His promise that He will draw near us. Let us pray urgently that we may be found doing these three things.

Prayer:

            Lord God Almighty, help us as we pray to you today. May we always act like your children, Doing the things that please you. Please help us to be trustworthy Christian neighbors to all we meet. Let us treat them with justice, kindness, and humility, as you require nothing more from us. May our sole aim in life be to worship you in Spirit and in Truth, and may our worship spill over into our daily lives so that we will be known to everyone and followers of Jesus Christ. Let us not delay in our prayers for guidance and strength to live according to your requirements. Amen.

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