Scripture
Our verse for today is from Micah 6:8, ” He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? “
Background
There is an old saying that goes, ” The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. ” We have all been guilty of intending to do something we know we should, but never following through on it. Much to our dismay, we hear a message on Sunday or see a friend at church and remember what we thought about doing some time ago, but never got around to making it happen. It comes from a combination of busy schedules, half-hearted commitments, and a selfish tendency to meet all of our needs before we can reach out to minister to another. God knows all about our big plans to change how we do things or to start reaching out in some new way, only to see us stumble and fall right out of the gate. I mean, if He rescued His people from 400 years of bondage through a mighty deliverance filled with miracles, only to see them worshiping a gold cow before the dust even settled, far be it from us to think that we are the first ones to fall short of our intended purpose. And that’s a difference that the lost do not see. If they were to read Micah 6:8, almost all of them would say that they try to live out that verse. They would say that they are basically fair, considerate and humble, or at least try to be as much as possible. It’s as if they acknowledge they fail sometimes, but as long as the goal is to be this way, then that’s all that matters.
Application
But God says that’s not all that matters. Only the most wicked have the stated intent to cause harm and carry out evil. Most everyone else is trying their best. But God did not say His requirement of us is a biblical mission statement and then just try and do your best. He said to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God – every time. Always. Every minute. And we cannot do that. Verse seven says offering a thousand rams, ten thousand rivers of oil or our own firstborn cannot remove the sin of our soul. But thank God we have a Savior. So thank Him by following through on your intentions.
Charge
As we seek Him today, make that phone call, write that card, say you’re sorry, invite someone to dinner, take time to pray, open up God’s Word. Don’t plan on it – just do it.
Rich Holt / Originally Published on : BCWorldview.org
Also published on : Medium.com.
