“He has told you human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 Common English Bible (CEB)®
This small piece of Scripture is a very eye opening tale into what the people of God are to do. Micah 6:8 is what is known as the Great Requirement. The short hand version is that we are to be a loving people, who look out for oppression and abuses of any kind, to defend the weak and helpless, and to never walk without our Heavenly Dad in a humble position allowing Him the authority to guide us all of our days. The one thing you do not see on here is an age, or social status when you may no longer need to fulfill this requirment. Matters of fact, the only qualifying note God places on Micah 6:8 is “human one”, if you consider yourself to be a “human”, then guess what, God requires this of you.
More so, the lack of qualifiers of who this requirement belongs to leads us into the knowledge that these are active statements, not passives one. Here in Micah 6:8 is an understanding that loving God, and living for Him is mission driven. God does not call people to experience the salvation of Jesus Christ simply rot on this planet until they’ve reached a heavenly goal. John Wesley the founder of Methodist believed that “Heaven starts now!” Waiting for an after world religion to Wesley was a foolish and unproductive one. Today we intrinsically know this still to be true, think about the saying “so Heavenly focused of no earthly good.” Micah 6:8 should act to the Christian, the same way as the shoot opens for the horses at the Kentucky Derby. The world should looked amazed as our Lord Jesus says “And they're off!” seeing the people of God mobilized in their requirement for faith, loves, and justice. Yet, in my darkest moments I must confess that I look outward to others, and inward toward myself and all I can see is a stagnant faith, which doesn’t energize the Christian, nor transform the world. Micah 6:8 becomes only another theological knowledge of what God wishes for His people, but not a serious request to be taken in “fear and trembling”. I lost my father (Mark) in his early 40’s when I was only 18 years old, my Grandma (Daisy) when I was 25, and buried my uncle Ron in 2006 he was only 53. At 32 I have already seen several personal deaths, and more in leu of my profession as minister. Micah 6:8 should make us charge this world with a passion that is unearthly because we do not get to stay here. If you found the love of God in Jesus Christ you are a blessed person. As a matter of fact you are “a blessing to all the nations” (Genesis 12:2) What God needs from us as His people is to actively pursue the world sharing with all the blessing we have received, the salvation from our own brokeness through Jesus Christ. But, not in a calm orderly state as to suggest we are in no real hurry, but as thoroughbreds pounding our hooves into the sand as if one lap is all we have for victory. Because today is the only day you and I are guaranteed, and to show love, justice, and share Christ our only requirements. Let us be of earthly good toady, and Heavenly focused when we get there!
Strive on my friends, Strive on!
Pastor Richard
focusonthecross.org
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