God's Requirements

Good Morning,

Micah 6:6-8 (NIV)
With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
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.

The question being posed here in the Book of Micah is: What must I do to please God? Sacrifices, perhaps? Is that what God wants of me?

Then, thankfully, we are given the answer to that question, and it has nothing at all to do with any kind of sacrifice whatever.

It's so simple as to be barely recognizable as something that we would do to please the Lord God Almighty, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

I am to act with justice toward everyone I meet. I would guess I should take that to the next level, however, and say that acting with justice would mean I am truthful with everyone I meet; I do not take anything that I haven't earned by my labors; that I conduct myself with integrity in all I do. You see, if I do all of that, I have no choice but to "act justly" as I live my life.

I am to love mercy. Here, again, as I live out my life among other human beings, I would say that I should always be forgiving to those who do me wrong or harm; I should seek to help others where I see that assistance is needed; I should give of my finances to those in need as best I can; I should be accepting of everyone and anyone...especially those who are seeking to know God.

I am to walk humbly with God. In concept, I would say that being humble before God should be pretty easy. I mean, after all...He's God! And...I certainly am not! So, as I think about this, I believe it means that I'm to go to God, as He has asked me to, in prayer and conversation (one and the same?) each day; I am to worship Him not only by singing songs and the such, but by the way I walk my life each day; I am to put Him first in all I think about, all I say, and in all I do; and not place myself above those around me.

Yes, there are more ways...beyond anything I can write here...that we are to carry out these requirements from the LORD. Each of us needs to listen to that Voice which speaks in our minds and hearts to determine how we should, as individuals, fulfill what God requires of us. But, the bottom line here is that no amount of sacrifice and no amount of words will please God. It's our actions in how we put true justice to work every day. It's how we show mercy in our lives. It's how we walk with true humility with God.

Not a lot required is there? Do I do it? Do you do it? That's what we need to answer as we search deep inside ourselves.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David