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That’s A Great Question

What would the greatest question be that we could ask God? It might be, “God, what to you want of me?” That is exactly what the prophet Micah asked God about 700 years before Christ was born. And we are really fortunate, because God answered Micah in a way that is an answer all of us can understand.

“ 6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God?  Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?  Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.“ ~Micah 6:6-8

Micah firsts asks God, do you want the “fatted calf,” the best that I have saved for that special feast. He then asks do you want what only the wealthiest have, thousands of rams. Not stopping there, Micah asks God, “do you want the impossible of me,” ten thousand rivers of oil? He tops off his list of questions asking God do you want the most precious thing I have, my first born?

Had God accepted any of these items as requirements of a relationship with Him, we could have ended our hope right there. In a way only our great God can respond, He gives us the answer to mankind’s most pressing question.

God says it takes only three things to have a relationship with Him: (a) to act justly; (b) to love mercy; and (c) to walk humbly with Him.

The justice we are called to is not our justice, but God’s justice. When men act, it often takes the form of vengeance, but our God has a perfect record on justice. Notice we are not called to be merciful but to love mercy. Mercy come from characteristics that include kindness, benevolence, and charity. It is the same mercy that God extends to each of us through Christ. And finally, a humble attitude required by the Lord will always show itself through a life of prayer, repentance, and service


TIPS-14It is perfectly acceptable to ask God questions. He loves it when we want to carry on a relationship. Do you have a relationship with God?

Check List√

Do you spend enough time reading the Bible so that you have gained an understanding of who God is?

Do you know what God expects of you?

Can others see God in how you ACT, LOVE and WALK?

Do you know what God’s Justice looks like?

Do you understand the mercy extended by Christ to all through His sacrifice?

Humility is a necessary component to hearing GOD – Do you perceive humility as a strength or a weakness?


It’s All About The “Verbs”

While each person may want to focus on the justice, mercy and humility requirements, God will want us to focus on the verbs.  These are to ACT, to LOVE and to WALK.

To act means that each of us is called to treat all others with the same justice that God treats us with.  It is not enough to complain, to let others take care of the world’s injustice, but we must act, move, get off the couch, put down the games, and do something good for God’s kingdom.

Loving is simple, we are called to love as Christ loved the world.  There can be no mercy without love.  Here, the heart is everything.

Finally, we are called to walk.  Humility is an interesting trait.  But walking means that we do not wait for others to come to us, but we go to them.  In a time and world that is so different, it is often hard to be generous and lead a life of service.  But we must.  It is the people of God that offer our world hope.

Your tip, therefore, is to heed the nouns of justice, mercy and humility but live the verbs of acting, loving and walking.