What Is Good

What can we bring to the Lord?
    What kind of offerings should we give him?
Should we bow before God
    with offerings of yearling calves?
Should we offer him thousands of rams
    and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
    to pay for our sins?
 

 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:6-8

to Act justly...

As soon as I set out to do right in my own life I have quickly found out how much I am in need of mercy. Daily. I need mercy daily... moment by moment. Sometimes I know what is right but I just don't do it out of selfishness, fear, or a lack of self control. Sometimes I feel I don't even know what is right.

to Love mercy...

I love mercy because I realize how precious it is in my own life... I love mercy because I know how much I fail to act justly...  I love mercy because without it I am lost. Stuck. Unable to move forward in trying to do what is right. 

When I seek for justice in the world I will quickly see how much the world is in need of mercy. Can I show mercy to the world? Can I show mercy to those who are obviously not acting rightly? Or will I just sit in judgement of how terrible things are? 

I must love mercy for the world and those around, just as I love mercy in my own life. I cannot sit in judgement of the wrongdoing only to point it out and say "Hmm. That's not right. I would never ____." To detach myself from injustice in the world and say that I will have no part of it is denying that I am broken too.
That same brokeness lives inside of me. 

to Walk humbly...

Not run. Walk. Thank goodness for that. One day at a time. One moment at a time walk. 

Not strut with pride and arrogance. But walk in humility because I  see how impossible the task that God has laid before me. How ill-equipped I am to do what is right on my own. It seems hopeless, BUT...

With your God... 

A promise? A promise that He will go with me. An invitation? An invitation that I am allowed to have Him by my side. So many times I have tried to push God away, all the while trying to honor Him and carry out that which I believe He is asking of me. Like a little child desiring independence I stubbornly say "No, God it's okay... I can handle this on my own. I got it. I want to do it by myself."

Require of YOU...

He's calling me out. Asking me to help bring good into the world. To honor Him with the sacrifice of my life. To sacrifice my freedom and use it to focus on Him. So that I can help bring His Kingdom forth...

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I ask LORD what should I do? What do you want me to do with my days? How do I honor you?

He answers: 

Act justly. Do not look for justice in the world... you won't find it. Seek out how to bring justice to those around you. First and foremost do right by those in your own home, in your church, on your street, and where ever you find yourself. But you will need the gift of mercy in your own life. You will need to love it. You will fail at times.  Remedy the injustice you see not by slamming down judgement on others or yourself, but loving mercy in your life and into their lives as well. And you will need me. You will need to walk with me in humility. Moment by moment, day by day. This is good. This is what you should do.