Three Things God Requires
3 Things.
It’s true that God gives many instructions in His Word. There are the 10 commandments, for example. There’s another list in the book of Micah that lists three things. If we do those three, we are actually observing every single one of those ten commandments.
Here are the three things: 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? Micah 6:8.
Do justice
Justice is just dealing or right action. It involves impartial dealing and fairness. Justice is also righteousness, or conforming to truth, fact, or reason. [The ten commandments here include: no graven image; no other gods; take His name in vain; remembering the Sabbath; honoring father and mother; killing; stealing, adultery, bearing false witness and coveting.] A person who lives justly will live in such a way that he will not be guilty of any of these.
Love mercy.
Mercy includes compassionate treatment of others. Mercy implies compassion that forebears punishment even when justice demands it. Jesus’ example on the cross shows mercy for each one of us as sinners.
Mercy is something shown especially to an offender or to someone who is under our authority or power. When we have the power to demand punishment, we can show mercy. God did that for us when He sent Jesus to become punishment for our sins. When we have the power to, but choose not to; that is showing mercy.
Walk humbly with your god
Humility is freedom from pride or arrogance. When we walk humbly with someone, we allow the other person to make the decisions. They decide where and what, and we merely follow without interference or objection. Walking humbly with God means that He is in charge; we are not, and we follow the way He tells us to go without fighting or arguing.
The three things
I like to think of these three things as representations of the Triune God. God the Father is just, and of course He is merciful as well. Jesus exhibited mercy in leaving Heaven, living with mankind, and dying for our sins. The Holy Spirit convicts and compels us to walk with God.
When we do these three things God requires, we exhibit the Trinity. We exhibit God when we deal justly. We model Christ when we show mercy. And we live in the Spirit when we walk humbly with God.
These three things required by God guarantee us joyful living every day. When we follow the three things God requires, we experience victory because we are not ensnared by the Evil one.
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