Monday, December 9, 2013

Recommended Faith Requirements – Advent Devotional

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

Daily Scripture Reading: Micah 6:6-8

   When you buy some new software or hardware, one of the first things you need to check is, does your computer meet the minimum system requirements. If your computer meets the minimum requirements then does it exceed these by having what is recommended for optimal performance. Minimum. Recommended. This is the language used in the world of computers.

  In today's scripture, Micah is talking about the language of faithful living. If you want to excel as a Christian - not just with Microsoft Excel - you need to know the minimum and recommended requirements.

   Paul in Galatians, tells us a person is made right with God "not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (2:16). The minimum Christian system requirement is faith. This means that we enter into a saving relationship with God through our willingness to trust Jesus, to rely on him to be our Lord and Savior. We are saved through faith, and Paul assures us that there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

  Faith is the minimum system requirement. Then we might say that for optimal performance, we recommend you do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

  Recommended requirement one: Do justice. The recommendation to do justice applies to every aspect of life - it means treating others with fairness, equality and showing concern for people who are weak, powerless and exploited. "Do justice," says Micah. Not simply "support justice." It's a high-commitment, hands-on, everyday activity.

  Recommended requirement two: Love kindness. The English word "kindness" is actually a weak translation of the Hebrew word hesed, which means love, loyalty and faithfulness. You might say, you are to “love love” or “love loyalty” or “love faithfulness.” It lies at the heart of healthy relationships, whether the bonds are marriages, close friendships or the relationship between God and his people. To "love kindness" is to keep this loyalty and faithfulness at the heart of all your relationships.

  Recommended requirement three: Walk humbly with your God. If we are going to excel as Christians, we must travel with God over the course of life. Faith may begin with a momentary decision, but it matures through a long journey of following God over many ups and downs, through mountaintop experiences and valleys of deep darkness. Along this path, we are challenged to walk humbly, knowing that God is - and always remains - ahead of us leading the way.

   When Jesus describes himself as "the way, and the truth and the life" (John 14:6), he is echoing this image of a journey. Jesus is our way, showing us exactly how we are to walk with God. When he first calls his disciples, he doesn't say, "Agree to these fine points of theology." Instead, he says, "Follow me" (Matt. 4:19).

  In the life of faith, unlike the world of computers, we should never be satisfied with the bare minimum. To have the strongest possible relationship with God and with each other, it is important to reach for the recommended system requirements: Doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly in our journey with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

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