Daily devotional · May 4
What God Asks
“With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah imagines a worshiper who keeps raising the offering: bigger sacrifices, more animals, even the unthinkable. It is a picture of people who believe they can settle their account with God by paying more. The prophet's reply is disarmingly simple. God has already shown what is good, and it comes down to three things: act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. Notice that none of them is a ritual; all are ways of living among other people, under God's eye. Justice without mercy turns harsh, mercy without justice turns soft, and both without humility turn proud. Today, choose one of the three and practice it on purpose. Perhaps you will deal fairly where it would be easy to cut a corner, forgive a small debt, or admit you were wrong. Small obedience counts.
Prayer
God, teach me to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly. Start with the person in front of me today.