Micah 6:8
“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?”
This was a popular worship as a young Christian. I didn’t appreciate it much then. I’ve come to love it in it’s simplicity. Moreso, it’s helped me to love God more for it’s simplicity.
There are several parts that make it amazing. The first is what He wants to show us. Many think to find God is difficult. It’s not. A good test to see if something is of God is to use the child test. While His ways are above our ways, He wants all to come to Him. Even the child. Matthew 19:14 says, ‘But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”’
This verse also tells us in a nutshell what God wants us to do. The first is to do justly. We are to treat all well and fairly. We aren’t to show favoritism. James chapter two says much about that. This may sound easy, but it’s more difficult than one may think. It leaks out in our speech and how we treat people. Lord, help us to treat all well.
The next task God wants us to do is to show mercy. This is huge. It’s one of the beatitudes, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Jesus also told a parable about a servant who had been forgiven a great debt, but that servant different forgive his friend a miniscule amount. A key verse is in Matthew 18:33, “Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?” We need to be merciful. We will never be perfect, but we need to continue to show more and more mercy.
The last task the Micah passage tells us to do is to walk humbly with our God. Wow! What a privilege. God wants to walk through life with us. The rich would give huge amounts to take a walk with God, not knowing that God wants this. Not just one walk, but one that would last for the rest of their lives.
Walking with God is amazing. Much like we feel a particular vibe when with someone, the same is true with God. He fills us with joy and peace. This is better than any drug one may take. There is no hangover, only joy.
When we walk with God, He is the best life Coach. He leads us in great ways. He knows us better than we know ourselves. If we trust Him and follow His leading, we will have the best. He will bless our marriage and relationships.
As we walk with Him, we learn about humility. Who would have thought that. First that God is humble and He wants us to be as well. He sent His Son to earth in a manger. He grew up in an area that had a bad reputation. Not the best prep schools.
What does it mean to be humble? Romans 12:3 gives us a great description, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.” False humility declares to all, “I am nothing”. True humility sees us as we are; no more, no less. It doesn’t sound a trumpet and tell all. It’s right thinking.
Lord, thank You for this verse and the wonderful life you have for us. Help us to walk in it.