Posts Tagged ‘Micah’

Micah (part 5c: Faith)

Posted: August 13, 2010 in Bible, Christ, Christianity, community, culture, prophecy
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

This is my third & final post answering the question, “What exactly does God want from me anyways?”

“…the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD

The third requirement is actually a challenge to live in humility, faith and fellowship with God.

Leslie Allen says it implies a dedicated lifestyle that is in constant remembrance of God’s “grace in the past and of His will for the present, and a readiness to be guided by Him in all life’s ventures.”*

It involves offering God the one thing He truly desires: your heart, its love and its obedience.

What exactly does God want from you?

#1 — He wants you to care about other people (social justice).
#2 — He wants you to love mercy.
#3 — He wants you to walk in humble faith.

Before you discount these as Old Testament concepts, consider Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees:

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things” Matthew 23:23 NLT (emphasis mine).

Any time your Christianity is encapsulated solely in religious practices (church attendance, tithing, volunteering at church, singing worship songs, attending Sunday School, etc.) you are missing the point. According to Jesus, you should continue in those things, but not neglect the more important matters of justice, mercy and faith.

Don’t be a hypocrite!

Extra credit: Read Matthew 7:12; Mark 12:29-31; Ephesians 5:15,17; James 1:27; Leviticus 19:11-18; 1 Samuel 12:24; Amos 5:14; Hosea 12:6; Isaiah 1:17.

Do you see a pattern? Can you find other verses that fit?

Micah (part 5b: Mercy)

Posted: August 12, 2010 in Bible, Christianity, community, culture, prophecy
Tags: , , , , , ,

This is my second post answering the question, “What exactly does God want from me anyways?”

“…the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

LOVE MERCY

The Hebrew word is hesed, frequently rendered “loyalty,” “kindness,” or “mercy.”

Fundamentally it describes the persistent love of God that will not let you go.

Hesed is rooted in God’s mercy, for it is completely undeserved and cannot be earned.

In relationships, hesed is demonstrated as mutual loyalty (God toward you; you toward God; and you toward others).

I like Daniel Fuller’s description: “Hesed represented an action far beyond what one would be obligated or expected to do, thus conveying the idea of performing a benefit that is merciful and wonderful beyond all that is customary or even imaginable.”*

There is no question about how God feels about you. In His mercy, He shows you undeserved love and kindness–far beyond anything you deserve.

The bigger question is, “How do you feel about God?”

Do you go above-and-beyond in your relationship with God? Or do you do only what is necessary to avoid eternal damnation?

What is your attitude toward your spouse, children and/or friends? Are you merciful toward their shortcomings and loyal to them even when they’ve wronged you?

What exactly does God want from you?

#2 — He wants you to love mercy.

Micah (part 5a: Justice)

Posted: August 11, 2010 in Bible, Christianity, community, culture, prophecy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

What exactly does God want from me anyways?

That’s the same question Israel asked:

“What can we bring to the Lord? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?” (Micah 6:7-6).

Micah answered this way:

“No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).

[To keep each post relatively short, I'll break this verse into 3 parts.]

DO WHAT IS RIGHT

The Hebrew word is misphat, frequently translated as “justice.” It means to treat other people with dignity and respect. It implies a social obligation toward weaker members of society and insists on the rights of others.

Don’t confuse misphat with government run welfare.

Andy Crouch explains this perfectly:

“This is different from charity, which is simply the transfer of assets from rich to poor. It is closer to investment. Investors expect a return–indeed, they expect their own resources to grow alongside the success of the enterprises they invest in.”*

Thus, it is the responsibility of each individual to voluntarily invest in the lives of those who need their help (i.e. “to do what is right”).

What exactly does God want from you?

#1 — He wants you to care about other people (social justice).


Micah (part 4: Power)

Posted: August 11, 2010 in Bible, Christianity, culture, prophecy
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“But as for me, I am filled with power—with the Spirit of the Lord. I am filled with justice and strength to boldly declare Israel’s sin and rebellion.” Micah 3:8 NLT

How did Micah keep himself from the corruption of his culture?

Simply put: he was “filled with power—with the Spirit of the Lord.”

The SOURCE of Power

Whereas the Jewish elite achieved their status and power through the oppression of the poor and the weak (2:1-2, 8-9; 3:1-4, 9-11; 6:10-12; 7:2-4) the source of Micah’s power was the Spirit of the Lord.

While the Old Testament provides only glimpses of the Spirit’s power in individual lives, the New Testament introduces a new era of the Spirit’s activity in the life of every believer (Acts 2:17-18, 2 Tim 1:7).

The RESULT of Power

Those who use their power for selfish gain ultimately find themselves as the objects of God’s displeasure (2:3-5, 10; 6:13-16).

Godly men and women in every generation are called to use whatever power they’ve received from the Lord (whether in the form of wealth, influence, giftedness, or any other emotional, political, social, or spiritual capital) for the benefit of others … on behalf of the Lord.

What is the source of your power?

Are you relying on the Lord, or are you trying to manipulate people, systems and resources to your advantage? Whether you realize it or not, as a person filled with the Spirit of the Lord, you are already in possession of more power than you could ever dream (Acts 1:8).

How do you use the power you have?

God is at work precisely in those places where suffering, violence, poverty and famine strip the dignity of the hopeless, the helpless, and the powerless. What are you doing to leverage whatever power you’ve been given to rescue someone from the worst that culture and nature can do? What are you doing to help restore their dignity?

Older Entries
Newer Entries