Articles
What Does God Want?
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 wants justice. He wants us to do right. Is that hard to understand? Why it is so hard for people to do what is right? It is simply my observation. There are people whose inclination is to do right. They stay as far away from the line of wrong as they possibly can. They do not even think about it. On the other hand, there are those who flirt with the line of right and wrong. They tease doing wrong just enough to get close but then back off. Often that kind of person is called mischievous. And if, occasionally, he crosses the line, there is no problem. But there is a problem. Soon, crossing the line becomes the norm not the exception. Doing right becomes the exception. Doing right is not hard unless we love to do what is wrong.
Second, God wants us to be merciful. He loves mercy. He wants us to be compassionate. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful…” Having received mercy we should be more than willing to give it to others. God wants us to be compassionate. He wants us to be compassionate with our mates. He wants us to be compassionate with our brethren. He wants us to be compassionate with those who hurt. He wants us to be compassionate with those who suffer injustice. He wants us to be compassionate with those who sin against us. Compassion will prevent bitterness. It will help us refrain from becoming cynical.
Third, God wants us to walk humbly. He wants us to put Him first and others second. Repeatedly through scripture it is said, “God hates the proud.” The proud fail to see themselves as they are before God. They fail to see themselves before others. No man is above God. No man is above another man. All people have flaws and faults. We need a good dose of reality. Pride blinds us. If we walk humbly before God, we are willing to consider ourselves in need of Him. We see the need we have of others too. Pride caused Haman to be hung by his own gallows. Pride caused King Saul to blame the people from his disobedience. Pride caused Diotrephes to place himself in preeminence. No proud person will stand before God.
Do right, be compassionate and walk humbly before God and others. That is the key to success with God.
Rickie
