photo: canva graphic: Martha G. Brady
So often, I get at loose ends
Trying to be a “good” christian.
There are so many mental lists
Of what I need to do.
Trying to be a good christian... There are so many mental lists of what I need to do. Share on XHave devotions every day, love others, be kind
Submit, go to church on Sundays,
To say nothing of all the things on the “don’t do” list!
Today, we studied Micah.
It became clear that GOD’s focus for His people
Has less to do with lists
More to do with relationships.
Did He tell Israel they were going to be punished because
They didn’t worship enough?
No.
They worshiped too much and had too many gods!
But they weren’t focused on Him!
They were too distracted by other gods and it was like adultery
From His perspective.
His command was not to have any other gods ahead of Him! stop
This is where He put the focus:
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with GOD?
Not a long list. Not easy for sure.
But not the list I would have made either.
Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with GOD? Not a long list. Not easy for sure. Share on X
It looks like we can’t stay uninvolved from the poor and oppressed like we often want.
Instead, we are called to be involved with justice…caring for the oppressed.
Sounds like our natural desire to stand back and judge others isn’t what He wants for us.
Instead, we are called to love kindness.
If you haven’t ever noticed,
Involvement in justice and kindness doesn’t click well with a neat schedule!
Walk humbly with GOD?
When we get a picture of who He is, we will be humbled for sure.
Realizing who we are in relation to GOD,
Helps us recognize how much closer we are to the poor and oppressed.
How much more we need mercy from Him
So we can live out kindness to others.
May GOD open our eyes this week to the oppressed around us.
How can we bring justice to them?
May He help us see where we need a kind heart in living our lives this week…
As we walk humbly with GOD.
I am so thankful that Jesus can to meet the demands of even this “simple” demand
From GOD that I can’t live up to.
He lived this out perfectly on earth.
If I am “in Christ”, I stand before GOD with His perfect record on my account.
But I still need to grow.
Another awesome post, Martha. Caring for God’s peeps are what we are absolutely called to do. We have got to keep our focus on that 24-7!
Lynette
~#8 this wk
it’s just something we aren’t inclined toward, is it lynette? “The least of these” is not a natural affinity group for most of us. maybe that is why Jesus mentioned them in such strong reminders! neither we nor the pharisees were inclined toward them. and it seems the Body of Christ is made up mostly of the weak, poor and lonely…b/c we are the ones most aware of our need for Jesus!
It’s that humble part that gets me every time 😉 Great post Martha! Have a wonderful weekend!
you and me both christy! humble is one of the many;)
A short list, but somehow it seems so difficult to distill life down to that essence. And the NT corollary(paraphrasing here), love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself is so simple it ties me up in still larger knots sometimes. Food for thought…
absolutely amy:) of course, that is a summary of the 10 commandments. isn’t it great how unified the message of the Bible is? and how impossible it is for us to live up to any of it? in the end we must bow before GOD and realize how short we fall of His standard, and how much we need Christ to have lived that perfect life for us like He did?
I loved this. Loved how you stopped after five minutes, then continued in your writing. It’s true, focusing on what God requires of us simplifies our goals, but not our responsibilities. It drives us past the urgent to the important. Great job.
i’m so glad you stopped by june:) i enjoyed browsing your blog a bit. i love the mosaic concept. I’m a quilter and the metaphor is very similar! have a wonderfully blessed day!