“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 ESV
The Bible points us to action and influence.
As I read through Micah 6, I’m confronted with the sinful and evil nature of man—of myself. I’m reminded of how easily I can embrace a discontented heart and an ungrateful spirit.
In Micah 6:3, the Lord says, “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!” (ESV). He goes on in verses 4–5 to list just a few of the ways he’s intervened on the behalf of the Israelites—I brought you out of Egypt, I redeemed you from slavery, I sent you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Oh, and remember that King of Moab, Balak? Remember what he devised? And, remember what Balaam did to answer Balak? He refused to curse the Israelites. Oh, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal? Yeah, that all happened so you might know the righteousness of the Lord.
Aren’t the Israelites experiencing selective amnesia? How could they possibly forget all that God had done for them? God intervened and rescued them in big ways, multiple times. He’s intervened in my life many, many times. And in ways I’m not even aware of. How about you? What has God done to intervene on your behalf? How has He intervened in your writing, in your publishing, in your speaking, in your ministry?
And then we come to Micah 6:8, “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?” (ESV).
God’s requirements of us are simple. We don’t have to literally throw ourselves upon His altar. We don’t need to sacrifice our firstborn. He’s not looking for animal sacrifice. He simply requires this: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him.
Being an author, a speaker, a publisher, an entrepreneur, a leader, a teacher, or a juggler of more than can be expected can become unreasonable and oppressive. These responsibilities weigh us down, overwhelm us, and even cause us to feel we’ve failed miserably.
As Christians, at the core of most we do is this basic truth and goal found in Luke 10:27: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (ESV). This is what our hearts, souls, and minds long to do. Isn’t it? Don’t we want God to use our words as a means of showing His love, compassion, wisdom, direction, and so much more?
It’s my prayer for you and me that we will keep justice, kindness, and humility at the forefront of all we do so that we can love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind.
I’m praying for you as you pursue God’s call. How will you apply these biblical truths as you prepare for our time together at the Speak Up Conference on July 7-9, 2022?
Question: At this point in your life and ministry, what do you think God is asking you to do?
