What Is GOD Asking Back From You?”
WHAT does GOD expect from those who want to worship him acceptably?
Does He demand perfection, thus making it impossible for us imperfect humans to please him?
Or does he expect only what is within our reach?
The answers to those questions are vital if we are to find joy in serving GOD.
Let us examine how the prophet Micah summed up GOD’s requirements —
“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 (NKJV)
“He has shown you . . . what is good.” We do not have to guess what GOD expects of us. He has told us, plainly outlining his requirements in the Bible. What GOD asks of us “is good.” It could not be otherwise. “GOD is love,” so he has our best interests at heart –
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:8 (NKJV)
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 (NKJV)
Heeding His requirements is not only pleasing to Him but also beneficial to us.—
“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NKJV)
“What is GOD asking back from you?”
Does GOD have the right to ask back anything from us?
Of course he does! We owe Him obedience as the Source and Sustainer of life. –
“Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.” Psalm 36:5-10 (NKJV)
What, then, does HE ask back from us?
In Micah 6 v 8, GOD’s requirements can be summed up with three phrases. The first two principally involve our dealings with fellow humans, and the third involves our relationship with GOD.
“Exercise justice.” The Hebrew word for “justice,” according to one reference work, “involves right and fair relationships in the community.” GOD asks us to treat others according to what is right and fair by His standards. We exercise justice by being impartial, upright, and honest in our dealings with others.
‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.” Leviticus 19:15 (NKJV)
“Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:17 (NKJV)
When we act justly toward others, they may be moved to act justly toward us in return.—
“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 (NKJV)
“To love kindness.” GOD asks us not merely to show kindness but to love it. The Hebrew word rendered “kindness”(che′sedh) may also be rendered “loving-kindness” or “loyal love.” Says one Bible scholar: “Love, mercy, and kindness are inadequate translations of [che′sedh]; it is no one of these virtues, but all of them together.” If we love kindness, we show it willingly; we find pleasure in helping those in need. As a result, we experience the happiness that comes from giving.—
“I have shown you in every way, by labouring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” Acts 20:35 (NKJV)
“To be modest in walking with your GOD.” In the Bible, the phrase “to walk” means “to follow a certain course of action.” We walk with GOD by following the life course He has outlined in the Bible. We need “to be modest” in pursuing such a course. How so? When we are modest before GOD, we realistically evaluate our position before him and recognize our limitations. Therefore, “to walk modestly with” means to have a realistic view of what He requires and of what we can give.
Thankfully, our Heavenly Father never requires more than we can give. He is pleased with our best efforts to serve him. –
“Whatever you do, do it readily, as to the Lord and not to men;” Col 3:23 (BBE)
He understands our limitations.
“For he knows how we were formed, aware that we were made from dust” Psalm 103:14 (ISV)
When we, with due modesty, learn that course of action, and learn to accept them as well, we can find joy in walking with Him.
Such a course brings rich blessings from Him.—
“The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” Proverbs 10:22 (ESV)
Viv White