Micah 6:6-8
6 With what shall I come before(A) the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?(B)
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(C)
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(D)
Shall I offer my firstborn(E) for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(F)
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(G) and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a](H) with your God.(I)
Yesterday we talked about whether God can trust us. Today we will talk about what God expects from us.
In the quoted verse, it is quite clear that above our earthly gifts, the Lord requires us to act Justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. I think that is the start to building trust.
Of these three, todays lets talk about walking humbly with God.
This statement is in two parts -
1. Walking with God and
2. Walking humbly.
First, what does it mean to walk with God. For clarity and example, look at the life of Enoch, a prophet in Genesis.
According to Rev Patrick Street , " The word “walk” is the biblical expression for “fellowship and obedience with God that results in divine favor.” It refers to the manner of life a person living in nearness to God.
Enoch walked with God … a walk of dedication and devotion. His walk lived up to His name … Enoch means “Dedicated.”
I will quote from Ms Kelly King, a women's ministry specialist here. She says
"First, walking with God begins with making a commitment to set aside a specific time and a specific place to meet with Him. Whether it’s in your kitchen, an office, or on a physical walk, consider your time with the Lord a sacred moment of your day"
Second, have a plan for your time with the Lord. I’m not a fan of just letting your Bible fall open to any chapter of the Bible. Instead, consider a Bible reading plan to give you a guide. Devotionals are great tools to help you focus on your time alone with the Lord, but do not let them replace Scripture. The words of others are encouraging, but the words of God are eternal.
Third, keep a journal or notepad handy. Write down ways the Lord is speaking to you through His Word. Circle or underline Scripture that you want to highlight. Write down verses you want to memorize. Look for ways the Holy Spirit may be convicting you to repent, to confess, and to change your behavior. Knowing God’s Word increases your head knowledge, but obeying God’s Word puts faith into action.
Fourth, spend time praying. This is your conversation with the Lord. Pray in different ways. Pray Scripture back to God. Keep a prayer list of those you are interceding for. Spend time in praise and thanksgiving. Pray out loud. Pray on your knees. Prayer shouldn’t be something you avoid, but something you desire."
For the full article you may read https://women.lifeway.com/2018/01/29/a-leader-who-walks-with-god/
Next we understand the second part: walking humbly with God.
So there we have it. We know what to do and how to do it. We also have an example. But. Will we do it? Let me convince you with this verse -
“You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.” – Deuteronomy 5:33
6 With what shall I come before(A) the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?(B)
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,(C)
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?(D)
Shall I offer my firstborn(E) for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?(F)
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly(G) and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a](H) with your God.(I)
Yesterday we talked about whether God can trust us. Today we will talk about what God expects from us.
In the quoted verse, it is quite clear that above our earthly gifts, the Lord requires us to act Justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. I think that is the start to building trust.
Of these three, todays lets talk about walking humbly with God.
This statement is in two parts -
1. Walking with God and
2. Walking humbly.
First, what does it mean to walk with God. For clarity and example, look at the life of Enoch, a prophet in Genesis.
(From this point onwards I will be quoting from other sources as well)
According to Rev Patrick Street , " The word “walk” is the biblical expression for “fellowship and obedience with God that results in divine favor.” It refers to the manner of life a person living in nearness to God.
Enoch walked with God … a walk of dedication and devotion. His walk lived up to His name … Enoch means “Dedicated.”
I will quote from Ms Kelly King, a women's ministry specialist here. She says
"First, walking with God begins with making a commitment to set aside a specific time and a specific place to meet with Him. Whether it’s in your kitchen, an office, or on a physical walk, consider your time with the Lord a sacred moment of your day"
Second, have a plan for your time with the Lord. I’m not a fan of just letting your Bible fall open to any chapter of the Bible. Instead, consider a Bible reading plan to give you a guide. Devotionals are great tools to help you focus on your time alone with the Lord, but do not let them replace Scripture. The words of others are encouraging, but the words of God are eternal.
Third, keep a journal or notepad handy. Write down ways the Lord is speaking to you through His Word. Circle or underline Scripture that you want to highlight. Write down verses you want to memorize. Look for ways the Holy Spirit may be convicting you to repent, to confess, and to change your behavior. Knowing God’s Word increases your head knowledge, but obeying God’s Word puts faith into action.
Fourth, spend time praying. This is your conversation with the Lord. Pray in different ways. Pray Scripture back to God. Keep a prayer list of those you are interceding for. Spend time in praise and thanksgiving. Pray out loud. Pray on your knees. Prayer shouldn’t be something you avoid, but something you desire."
For the full article you may read https://women.lifeway.com/2018/01/29/a-leader-who-walks-with-god/
Next we understand the second part: walking humbly with God.
Well, what does it mean to be humble? Here I will quote Rev Francis Taylor
She says "True humility does not deny the gifts we have been given, in fact it means using our gifts to the best of our ability while all the time giving God the credit. To give yourself a quick humility check, think about how you react to a compliment. Do you just say "thank you" or do you play it down as if you don't deserve the compliment? The humble person says thank you and if another person also deserves credit as well, they mention it. But to put one's self down is to deny God's gift and is false humility".
She says "True humility does not deny the gifts we have been given, in fact it means using our gifts to the best of our ability while all the time giving God the credit. To give yourself a quick humility check, think about how you react to a compliment. Do you just say "thank you" or do you play it down as if you don't deserve the compliment? The humble person says thank you and if another person also deserves credit as well, they mention it. But to put one's self down is to deny God's gift and is false humility".
So there we have it. We know what to do and how to do it. We also have an example. But. Will we do it? Let me convince you with this verse -
“You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.” – Deuteronomy 5:33
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