Micah 6:8 - 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.
In Micah's pleading with God's people, he is trying to get it through to them that there is nothing they could give in the physical sense, that would make them right with God. He points out all the things that the people think would work in verses 6 and 7, but tells them that's not what God is after.
He is after our hearts. He wants our hearts to be seeking Him. He says that God wants us to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him. When our hearts are given over to God and we are seeking Him daily, that's when we begin to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him.
If we aren't inviting Jesus into our hearts, how do we know what is right? Well, I'll just figure it out as I go and follow my instincts. Wrong. Instincts are a VERY poor substitute for instruction from the Lord. If we don't have the love of Christ in our hearts, how can we love mercy? How can we walk humbly with someone (Jesus), if we aren't seeking His presence?
What I often find ironic, and strange, and sometimes just plain weird, is human nature. Human beings have always been very materialistic. Over time, the attachment to material things has grown to a point where it is almost out of control now. As materialistic as people are, and always have been, we see in the Bible (repeatedly), how God's people are happy and willing to give material gifts (sacrifices) to God to appease Him. Despite their attachment to these things, they are happy to give them up. But when God says that is not what He wants, and that He just wants their hearts, they take a step back, and say, "Whoa! I can't give you that, that would be too personal." Has human nature changed any over the centuries? Not really.
People like to give the physical things that can be seen and touched, so that people can see just how big of a giver they are. It's a facade. All it is, is their way of saying, "Look how much I love God! I'm giving up half my stuff as a sacrifice."
Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 6 when He said, "Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in Heaven. When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do - blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get" (verses 1-2). He tells us to give our gifts in private and God will reward us (verse 4).
He only wants our heart. Even though Micah listed these 3 things, and Jesus gave us the 2 most important commandments to follow (Matthew 22:37-40), they all flow from the one thing - our heart.
Am I giving God my whole heart, or just a part of it? Am I seeking the approval of men, or the quiet approval of my Savior?
Dear Father, examine my heart. You know where my loyalty lies, and I pray that I will continue seeking You with my whole heart. I know I have a tendency to wander, but because of Your love and faithfulness, You welcome me back into Your arms when I turn my heart towards You. I pray for those that are only going half way (or less) with their hearts for You. My prayer is that Your Holy Spirit will convict them, and they will see that You have nothing they can buy, and that the approval of their brothers and sisters in public means nothing without the quiet approval of our Father in Heaven. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen!
God Bless!!!
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