Did you know that our Lord never conceals His expectations from us? We never have to guess how we are to live our lives. His expectations for us are clearly outlined in His Word, our Bibles! In response to many of the misguided ways that people were seeking out to please God, the prophet Micah explained what God does and does not expect of His people. The people asked: Should we come to God with many offerings? Should we bring a thousand rams and ten thousand rivers of oil? Would God be pleased if we gave Him our firstborn child to express our devotion to Him? And, like the people then, I hear many of us asking similar questions about pleasing God. Micah gives us a pretty good answer to the questions then, and now, about how we are to please the Lord.
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8.
In the Book of Micah, Micah listed three things that God desires of us to please Him. First He wants us to show justice. Friends, the desire to receive justice is not enough! We also must be absolutely just in how we are treating others around us, no matter who they might be. If we have given our word to someone, we should keep that word with complete integrity. If we run a business and have people working for us, we should treat them just as fairly as Jesus would! We must act justly in every relationship!
Second, we are to love mercy. Knowing that we have received undeserved mercy from our Lord should motivate all of us into showing that same kind of mercy to others! We need to always resist the temptation to retaliate against others that have wronged us. We should, instead, choose to show them mercy, knowing that we have also wronged our Lord Who has chosen to show us mercy!
Thirdly, God requires us to walk humbly with Him. Friends, God has never asked us to perform spectacular acts of service for Him, He asks us for humility! There are many of us that try many times to make the Christian life more complicated than it really is. Many of us will hide behind questions about the Scriptures or uncertainty about the second coming of Christ. There are others of us that believe that if we don't go out and get as many people saved as we can, we are not pleasing God. Still others believe that if they don't have a big, powerful ministry, they are in danger of not doing God's will.
Friends, we can allow all kinds of things to distract us from confronting what God has clearly told us to do today. If we strive to be completely obedient in the basics, the more complex assignments will become clear to us. We have to act in justice, mercy, and humility in order to do what God has asked us to do for Him, ourselves, and others. How are others going to come to know the love of Christ if we believers do not live and show the love of Christ? Our lives would be more fulfilling if all of us would do exactly what God has told us to do through His Word! If you are not sure that you are pleasing your Lord, might I suggest that you open His Word and ask Him for yourself. He will show you!
May God Richly Bless You Today!! H Trent!
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8.
In the Book of Micah, Micah listed three things that God desires of us to please Him. First He wants us to show justice. Friends, the desire to receive justice is not enough! We also must be absolutely just in how we are treating others around us, no matter who they might be. If we have given our word to someone, we should keep that word with complete integrity. If we run a business and have people working for us, we should treat them just as fairly as Jesus would! We must act justly in every relationship!
Second, we are to love mercy. Knowing that we have received undeserved mercy from our Lord should motivate all of us into showing that same kind of mercy to others! We need to always resist the temptation to retaliate against others that have wronged us. We should, instead, choose to show them mercy, knowing that we have also wronged our Lord Who has chosen to show us mercy!
Thirdly, God requires us to walk humbly with Him. Friends, God has never asked us to perform spectacular acts of service for Him, He asks us for humility! There are many of us that try many times to make the Christian life more complicated than it really is. Many of us will hide behind questions about the Scriptures or uncertainty about the second coming of Christ. There are others of us that believe that if we don't go out and get as many people saved as we can, we are not pleasing God. Still others believe that if they don't have a big, powerful ministry, they are in danger of not doing God's will.
Friends, we can allow all kinds of things to distract us from confronting what God has clearly told us to do today. If we strive to be completely obedient in the basics, the more complex assignments will become clear to us. We have to act in justice, mercy, and humility in order to do what God has asked us to do for Him, ourselves, and others. How are others going to come to know the love of Christ if we believers do not live and show the love of Christ? Our lives would be more fulfilling if all of us would do exactly what God has told us to do through His Word! If you are not sure that you are pleasing your Lord, might I suggest that you open His Word and ask Him for yourself. He will show you!
May God Richly Bless You Today!! H Trent!
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