God's Requirements

Scripture:

Micah 6:8 "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".

Observation:

Micah sums up what it takes to have the blessing and favor of God on your life. He had been talking about judgment that was coming because of their disobedience and how to avert it. He talked about offering massive sacrifices to get God's favor back, then he sums it up so simply. God is not hard to please and you don't have to wonder what pleases Him. Simply, "do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God". If we can do these three, the blessing of God comes into our lives.

Application:

These three things sound simple, but they are difficult to live by. Doing what is right means doing the right thing when doing other things would be so much easier. The right thing is seldom the easy thing. We are programmed to look for the easy way out of every problem, but God wants us to "do the right thing". Loving mercy is also difficult because we are also programmed to love justice and revenge instead of mercy and grace. It is more natural humanly to get revenge on someone than it is to forgive and have mercy working in our lives. Lastly, pride is when we feel we can do things better than God. He wants us to walk humbly with Him which means we must totally and completely trust and obey Him. These three will make you a winner in God's kingdom, but they are tough to live out every day.

Prayer:

Lord, You have told us what is good. You have made it so simple, yet we complicate it so much. Teach me to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You. I ask You to help me in these three areas. Help me be a person of character and integrity in every area of life. Help me to love those who hate me and do good to those who spitefully use me. Help me show mercy to all. Help me to walk humbly with You. I desperately need You in my life.

Your Son,

Jeff