What Does the Lord Require of You?

January 9, 2019 niroja Recent Blogs, Uncategorized

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Do I really want to know?

He has told you… who, me?

I’d rather know what He requires of YOU! It’s much easier that way. I have thousands of ideas of how YOU can make God happy.

Me? I’d rather He just go ahead and make me happy.

Just the other day, one of our politicians claimed the “moral high ground”, thereby placing all other points and opinions as inappropriate and/or without merit. Though the dictionary(on my computer) defines “moral” as – “concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character”, it is only a descriptive adjective unless you live it as a noun – “a person’s standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do”.

What was telling about the politician’s claim was what triggered it. Someone was calling out the claims being made by refuting them with the facts of life – the noun – so to speak.

Is what I am speaking a representation of what I DO and BELIEVE and HAVE PROOF OF its goodness and reliability, or is it just more of “Do as I say not as I do!”?

He has told you, O man, what is good… I have listened and taken a poll! I have listened and added just a touch of sugar to make the medicine go down. I have listened and run with glee to deliver the message to YOU.

Or more likely, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that, I was listening to the clamor of my world”.

My world! Or better stated… MY world!

The politician was not saying anything I don’t say to describe myself far more often than is good and acceptable and TRUE. I, like most of mankind, live the adjective – concern for the “principles for proper conduct”, rather than LIVING the noun – living what is and avoiding what is not acceptable for my own behavior and beliefs.

Because of mankind’s sin of disobeying God’s command, we all know good and evil (we all ate the fruit and are no longer innocent). Because of gift of our freedom to choose between them, everyone of us has an inner battle of WHO do we serve!

We can claim to serve God BUT… what does the Lord require of you but to DO justice, to LOVE kindness, and to WALK HUMBLY with your God…

We think we are fulfilling His requirements and serving Him fully when we point out those not doing justice. As we are pointing our finger, does our other fingers point at our own example of “DOING JUSTICE”. According to my handy dandy dictionary, am I a shining example of “just behavior or treatment”? When I am speaking to or about my fellow human, does my words and actions exemplify “concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect this person and people in general, or do I bang the gavel of my superior judgement?

We think we are fulfilling His requirements and serving Him fully when we point out those not loving kindness. When I huff and puff about those in need not getting their rightful goods and services, do I take from my largess and give to the one God has placed before me? Do I LOVE being kind? Do I seek to see the possible opportunities for the kindness I love?

We think we are fulfilling His requirements and serving Him fully when we point out those not walking humbly with your God. Somehow we become the expert spokesperson and believe it is our sacred duty to proclaim, protect and defend God’s will on this earth. All the while, busily evading personal contact, correction and communion with the One we call our Father.

In my youth (hey, compared to Methuselah’s 969 years, I’m VERY youthful!) I have spent a great deal of time anxiously wondering WHAT I should be doing “for” God. I have taken tests to reveal the areas of giftedness “so that” I could make myself ready for God’s big reveal of the world wide ministry He has written on my life. I have sought the counsel of the self-help books written by His world famous ministry stars. I have…

But just the other day God said.to.me,“I require you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with Me, your God!”

Whoa! How did I not know this before? I’ll get right on that!

Then He told me there was just one thing more I needed to know for my complete success at meeting His requirements… “by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

The next time I am meeting out justice, or showing my love for kindness, or walking humbly, it would be good to remember there is this principle called reciprocity (much like gravity – it just happens)…

Luke 6:37-38 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

Did you notice? They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. They… either judging or not judging – condemning or not condemning – pardoning or not pardoning – giving or not giving… whichever you choose… will be poured into your lap (pressed down, shaken, and running over). And that, my friends is the very core of why God REQUIRES the good stuff from us, He knows what evil brings when we choose to serve it.

You’ve heard me say it before! God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!!!!!! (From the movie “God’s Not Dead”)