No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NLT
When the prophet Micah asked the questions preceding this verse he was writing on behalf of an Israel who had the hardest time obeying God and keeping all His rules. In previous verses, they were inquiring what they needed to do to bring the Lord back to their side and to bring forgiveness for their sins.
The prophet answers no to their suggestions and gives them a simple formula for following God and doing His will. It is still practical today and may provide you with a way to prioritize your life around what God requires from us.
Have you ever wondered exactly what God wants from you and how you can live in a way that daily responds correctly to Him? Here are the three requirements:
Do what is right:
Do the right thing. Our only hope of doing this is to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in all of our actions, reactions and relationships. It is His sweet Spirit that will guide us into all truth and allow us to be a reflection of Jesus every day of the week. Is there anything wrong that you need to make right?
Love mercy:
This is hard. We would all like to think we are merciful but at our core we are tested in this. It is hard to show mercy to people we know take advantage of others. It is hard to show mercy to those that hurt other people physically, emotionally, or both. And yet here it is for us to follow: “love mercy.” It is hard to show mercy or love mercy for our enemies, but Jesus instructed us to love our enemies. Is there anyone that you need help loving and showing mercy to?
Walk humbly with your God:
To walk with God at all should produce a humbleness in us daily. Andrew Murry said, “Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.” Walking humbly with your God is to acknowledge daily that you are nothing without Him. He is your life, your breath, your health, and everything about you. His blessings are what allow us to function. Maybe we should practice mentally pausing throughout our days to whisper to God, “I am nothing without you.” Rick Warren reminds us, “You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time.”
Prayer
Dear Lord, with your help and grace, I will do these three things. I will do right by God’s strength and grace. I will love mercy by God’s strength and grace. I will walk humbly with you, God, by your strength and grace. Let it be so. Amen.
Pastor Wes Humble is the Executive Director of Ministry and Community Relations.