THREE ATTRIBUTES that GOD REQUIRES from us!

 

September 27 Bible Reading: Micah Chapters 4-7

THREE ATTRIBUTES that GOD REQUIRES from us!

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"(Micah 6:8)

In the above verse, the prophet Micah has clearly expressed God’s requirement from Israel. God wanted covenant obedience from His people shown in justice, mercy, and humility — three characteristics that were currently lacking among the people. We can see that God’s requirements move in three dimensions: outward, inward, and upward.

• Outwardly, to “do justly” necessitates dealing righteously with one’s fellow man.
• Inwardly, to “love mercy” necessitates having the inward commitment to God’s revelation that will manifest itself in a right relationship towards man and God.
• Upwardly, to “walk humbly with your God” necessitates having a right attitude towards God and a determination to walk in continuous fellowship with Him.

In our lives as well, we can see that our external (outward) dimension is inextricably tied to the internal (the inward and upward) dimension of our lives. How we deal with others is indicative of our inner resolve in being committed to God’s plan for our lives by maintaining a right relationship with Him. We will strive to be mission oriented in our lives as we reflect God’s love to other people.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was the perfect example of someone who fulfilled Micah 6:8 to the core – He maintained His obedience and loyalty to His Father and became humble even to the death of the cross (Phil. 2:6-8). Through that act of mercy, Jesus did the ultimate justice: He justified sinners who would believe in His act of sacrifice on their behalf!

As the representatives of Christ upon this earth, we should promote reconciliation, justice and integrity in our areas of influence. We should also engage in wholistic mission work by sharing the light of the gospel with the people in darkness and be channels of blessing to everyone in our world. This is the charge that God has given us until that day when Christ will set all things right in the not too distant future (see Rev. 20:11-15).