Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you; But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
I’m often amazed and dismayed at the continued fumblings and foolishness we see today across the board from leaders, teachers, politicians and celebrities all proclaiming how we should live or what will solve our social downslide.
It’s laughable when humanistic thinking tries to evoke wisdom when they believe we are nothing but a product of random time and chance to start with. It’s annoying to hear self-proclaimed “spiritual” celebrities and personalities wax eloquent on “life” (which more often than not just end up being a bullet point list of liberalism, earth worship and new age thought).
It’s disheartening to listen to well known “Christian” teachers go on with relentless ear-tickling and “self” teaching because this not only misleads the unsaved, it dilutes the discernment of many Christians and keeps them immature spiritually.
Compare the fluffy, self-centric ramblings from self-help gurus, vote-concern politicians and shallow celebrities to the unvarnished and simple Word from the Living God about how to live your life:
The Source of Good
How do we know what is good? Where do we find it? Who can we trust. God. And God alone. God has told us what is good… and we have no excuse not to know it well.
The why don’t we know both individually and collectively? Because we ignore it. We neglect it. It doesn’t fit our plans. It doesn’t feed our unending desire for pleasure and ease. It doesn’t fit our materialistic plans.
God’s Requirements
Micah lists three simple requirements that encapsulates all other aspects of living right, wisdom and pleasing God.
DO JUSTICE: Do what is right. Treat people right. Be honest. Protect the weak. Help the helpless. Shepherd the leaderless. Discipline the wrong doer.
Do you do right? Will you stick your neck out for truth? Will you be uncomfortable to see justice done? Will you place your own will second to pursuing what is righteous and proper?
LOVE KINDNESS: love what is good. Love what is nice. Love what is honest and pure. Contrast that today with our love (Christians too) for things that are sensual, violent, sneaky, manipulative and sensational.
Do you look for ways to be kind to others, on purpose? Will you inconvenience yourself or interrupt your schedule to do an unexpected good deed? Do you eschew the prurient and lustful things that are so popular in our culture? Do LOVE good and HATE evil?
WALK HUMBLY: we live in a time of “self”. Self-love, self-esteem, self-improvement, self-focus… self, self, self. This is both the opposite and the enemy of humility. Humility focuses on others. Humility defers to and prefers others. Humility seeks the best for others and rejoices when they receive it. Humility doesn’t mean we don’t care about ourselves but that we care about others equally or more. Humility seeks to understand our helplessness before God and our need for His mercy.
We are seeing the stark evidence of a lack of humility in our politics, the rioting, the roving violent gangs, the destruction of our economy by an entitlement mentality. ME FIRST is the opposite of being humble.
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Those three simple principles alone would cure the ills of any society. But it doesn’t sell books or make for great talks shows, huh?
We tend to think that our cultural problems and family problems will solved from the top down… if only the right person is elected, or if only my spouse would… But the truth is, it starts with YOU, the individual. When the hearts of individuals changes, then families change, communities change and societies change.
Looking for wisdom on how to live life. Look no further than the One who created you. He knows.
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