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I believe in Micah 6:8,
My favorite verse of all time, “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”
The sole purpose of a
human being, after all is said and done is to love mercy, act justly and walk
humbly with God. This is itself echoes the command Jesus gave us which is Love
God and love your neighbor (Others)
This is easier said
than done. Most cases we want to be seen to be the ideal lovers of God, so we
religiously do things, offer our time, self, resources etc, but unless we live
Micah 6:8, all these are just like filthy rags. All the religiously acceptable
behaviors we put in place doesn't make us more righteous than what Micah 6:8
would.
The questions I keep
asking myself are, Am I acting justly, in the family, how I treat my two boys,
how I treat my wife. Is it just. As I discharge my responsibilities in AYLF, am
I just. To be just is to be fair, rational, impartial, reasonable, open-minded,
non-discriminatory. This is in itself what is said to love your neighbor as you
love yourself. How would I feel if I was on the receiving end if I wear the
other person's shoes, will I expect to be treated the same way? At the end of
the day, did I act justly in all my duties? This is important to me and I live
my life on that.
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The other question is
mercy… Am I merciful. To love mercy, is to love compassion, forgiveness, to be
human, show care, be kind, be of concern. I look at it as making others
experience something better than what they would ordinarily experience. To make
their lives better. To add value to people. All these are not easy, but as a
follower of Jesus am called upon to love mercy. To love my neighbour as I love
my self. Even if my neighbour doesn’t look like they deserve it. I have spent
my life working with young leaders who most of them are very difficult to
handle. But I find it somehow in my heart to be there for them, be their
confidant even if no one really cares what it is. I see and watch what they do
out there, the mistakes they make but I still am able without judging them be
their friend and let them know that am there for them. Sometimes I find it hard
to do that because there is a part of me that wants to avoid them, let them be,
have nothing to do with them. This to me is an effort, though with many
failings to show them mercy. Let them realise that no matter what they do or
how people view them, they can count on my friendship. I haven’t done it for
all but I make effort to do it for the few I reach out to.
Image Credit: https://karriewilson.wordpress.com
The other question is,
walking humbly with God. This is not easy. This to me is to love the Lord with
all your heart, soul, strength etc. I, in many occasions fall short in this.
This to me is how I treat those God brings my way. How I continuously cultivate
my understanding of His word, what he has called me to do, how I live my life
at home, at work, how I drive on the roads, pay my bills on time, take care of
my responsibilities, how I serve those who I interact with including my wife
and children etc. This is very important. Do I spend time in prayer and God’s
word? God’s will for our life is that we live a sanctified life. In my
decisions, work, family, activities, etc how am I honouring this. What are the
questions I ask myself every day I need to engage in something? I believe God
has given us wisdom so we make choices that are good for us. But with the
choices I make, am I living a sanctified life. Am I cultivating a relationship
with God.
Walking humbly with
our God also implies being a humble citizen of your country who obeys the laws
of the land not because of police but because of your conscience.
If this resonates with
you, reflect on why you interact with Micah 6:8. Look for a small community of
friends who you can do this together with… Being accountable to a few and practicing with
a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s
thoughts on Micah 6:8. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire
to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support,
encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to
be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.
Find a community
around you and see if these conversations make sense to you…
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