Micah 6:8 – Walk Humbly (Part 3)
April 13, 2022(New International Version)
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[a] with your God.
Micah 6:8 (The Message)
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women.It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love,And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.
Wow, we made it! Seven weeks have passed quickly. I hope this season of Lent was a time committed to being intentional with the Lord. I trust you were able to devote spending time in the Lord’s presence and listening to hear how he might be guiding you in this time of your life.
The world is filled with lots of noise and distractions. As I said a few weeks ago, we might even be tempted to be in despair. Everywhere you look there just seems to be bad news all around. But if I can remind you of an old church hymn I remember singing when I was a little girl, it said “turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace” (Author, Helen Howarth Lemmel, [1922]).
Sometimes in our journey of walking with the Lord we lose sight of the reality that the Lord is God, and he is God all by himself. Our passion for the lost and for ministry at times can cause us to be so vested in the outcome that we become misguided in our understanding of our duty. We are called to be proclaimers of the gospel and to be committed to living the gospel message as a credible witness. Sometimes we lose sight of this reality and drift into a posture that is not ours but Christ alone.
Jesus is the Messiah. The one and only lamb slain for our sins. The only one who took our sins upon himself and was crucified in our place. Jesus is the only one who died for our sins, he is resurrected, and lives victoriously. We can live because He lives.
We have reflected on Micah 6:8 for the past three weeks. We have embraced the call to have right actions, words, and attitudes, in the sight of God and our neighbor. We have embraced the call to Love Mercy through reconciliation and obedience. Loving Christ our Savior and our neighbor, not through the rigid and cold framework of religious engagements but through the authentic embrace and proximity of relationship with God and neighbor.
The risk of pursuing the Christian life is that when we face rejection, we take it personal and might even desire to dismiss those who dismiss us. However, I am reminded of the grievance God had with Israel from part 1 of this series.
God was displeased with his so-called followers and accused them of abandoning their covenant with him. A covenant rooted in unconditional love. A covenant that compelled followers to live authentically and not hypocritically. A covenant rooted in love where relationships with God and neighbor are not discarded for cheapened religious practices. In other words, your relationship with the Lord is your priority and not your individual wants. As Micah 6:8 states it, the believer is called to walk humbly with God.
The relationship Jesus had with the Father was rooted in love and obedience and we are called to have the same kind of relationship with Jesus. When our love for Christ is our priority, we will also love our neighbors well. We will not consider ourselves more important that we ought to, and humility will guide our interactions.
As we approach the eve of remembering Jesus’ last night with his disciples in the upper room for the Passover meal, (just before his crucifixion), he vividly lived Micah 6:8. Christ prepared to physically demonstrate justice for his disciples and the world through his crucifixion. He extended love and mercy to his disciples and the world, as he prepared to be the loving sacrifice that would reconcile us to the Father. Finally, he humbled himself, even onto death. Death on a cross, a death of humiliation.
I am beyond grateful for all that Christ has done. May the close of this season of Lent cause you to not only reflect on the acts of Jesus but may you also ask,
- How is Christ calling me to live differently?
- Is Christ reminding you not to consider yourself with greater value than you should?
- Is Christ asking of you how may you not only act justly and love mercy but how will you walk humbly before others and with the Lord?
Let us Pray:
Gracious Lord may your words search me. May you reveal yourself to me even more today. May you help me to see what you see when you look at me, so that I may respond to your love as I seek your will, your way, and your love in my life. And may I live my witness of you to others, so that they may know you through me. Amen!