"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Mic 6:8; KJV) When I see phrases like: “He has shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of thee”, in the Bible, I figure God is trying to get something significant across to me. So, what does the Lord require from us in this verse from the prophet Micah? To do justly is to act according to God’s divine laws and commandments.

Mercy is often translated as loving kindness and also includes the sense of faithfulness, tenderness and unfailing love. Kindness is really goodness in action; practical goodness. God said to Israel that “I will have mercy and not sacrifice” (Matt 12:7) and a cardinal command is to love: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).

In God’s word we are commanded to: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). To make ourselves low or humble seems very alien to the world’s behavior but someone once told me to look at what the world does and do the opposite.

“With the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Matt 7:2). Let’s be quick to obey, the blessings are beyond measure.

“Ye doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Phil 3:8; KJV). Paul concluded that everything in his previous experience paled, seamed insignificant, in comparison to the wonder and glory of knowing Christ.

All of his previous ambitions and goals were laid aside willingly to focus on his Savior. Before he became a Christian, the apostle Paul was a Jewish Pharisee, trained under Gamaliel the famous Jewish leader and teacher (Acts 22:3). Paul even persecuted the early Christian church before he came to know Jesus as savior and Lord (Acts 22:4). Notice Paul was quite graphic in looking back at his old life referring to it as dung.

Paul’s life was made new and turned completely right side up by knowing Jesus and he pressed in to know him more each day (Phil 3:12). Paul’s heart cry was to know Jesus: “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Phil 3:10).

Although we have temporal things to take care of each day our focus should also be to know Christ; this takes work. We need to spend time in his presence, in his word and prayer. The rewards are amazing. As we press in to him, we will become like him (2 Cor 3:18).

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I was studying the Holy Spirit and was reminded that he is called the comforter (John 14:26; Greek parakletos), helper, assistant, guide, revealer of the word of God, one who pulls alongside to help, strengthen and support. He gives us a prayer language (Acts 2:4; tongues) so he can help us pray when we don’t know how to pray for a situation (Rom 8:26-27). Tongues also edify and build up our faith (1 Cor 14:4; Jude 20).

The Holy Spirit guides us and directs (Acts 16:6-7) us and reveals God’s word to us: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26; KJV).

He is the power of God that changes us ever closer to God’s image (2 Cor 3:17-18) and brings life to our mortal bodies: “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Rom 8:11). The Holy Spirit enables us to be the witnesses God desires (Acts 1:8) and enables us to do even greater works than Jesus did (John 14:12). He spreads God’s love abroad in our hearts (Rom 5:5). Wow, do we ever need the fullness of God’s Spirit in our lives; and we only have to ask God to fill us with the Spirit and he will (Luke 11:13).

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“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was mad in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thin eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps 139: 13-16).

In Psalm, 139 above we are told that God formed us in our mother’s womb (v 13-16) and that he has a plan for each of our lives (v 16). His thoughts toward us are good (Jer 29:11) and precious (Ps 139:17). Sit back and close your eyes and meditate on that; the creator of the universe made you, loves you and has a special plan and place for you. God does not make junk () and is no respecter of person (Matt 22:16); he sees you as important as anyone else.

In Psalm 139 David tells us further that God knows us intimately, right down to our thoughts (v 1-4). Nothing is hidden from God (Matt 9:4). David completed Psalm 139 by asking God to search him and show him any evil that needed to be removed from him, so that he (David) could be led by God in God’s perfect plan for his life (v 23-24). God called David a man after his own heart (Acts 13:22). I think I would like to be called that as well; how about you?

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“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3; KJV). “Together” means to be one, a unit; like a group of soldiers marching in synchrony. Walking together doesn’t just happen, we have to will or agree to go in the same direction. “Agreed” has the essence of coming together in complete agreement, like coming together in marriage.

This passage from Amos should describe our relationship with God; one with him, walking in union, complete obedience and being quick to repent when convicted. We cannot have our favorite scriptures and ignore others. We cannot be selective in obedience; however inconvenient or hard it may appear to be. If one of those soldiers decided to march at a different rhythm the whole group would be thrown out of step. Unity is a beautiful thing and important to God (Ps 133:1-3). There will never be unity in the body of Christ if we as individuals don’t first make the decision to bring our will into unity with him. We must be in complete agreement with God to walk with him.

Unity in the body of Christ is not just unity and fellowship with men, in our own strength but a unity driven by God’s Spirit in us and other men and women, by God’s grace through faith. Unity releases the power of God. In the early church the people were: “of one heart and of one soul”, no one lacked, the apostles preached with great power, signs, wonders and miracles and the church grew tremendously (Acts 4:32-33).

Focus on walking with God today and see how he will bless your relationships with others.

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