Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

TIM GOOD MORNING, I’M TIM WISE, SENIOR ADULT MINISTER AND SANCTUARY CHOIR DIRECTOR AT CENTRAL. In the time of the prophet Micah, the people’s hearts were far from God. They’d created a religion based on rituals and rules that no one could keep. Some even abandoned God and worshipped idols, and yet God continually called them back to a relationship with Him. Micah tried to tell the people that following God was really much simpler than they made it out to be: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). I imagine some of the religious folk having a problem with that simplified version of faith or maybe agreeing but wanting to add a few hundred rules to it. But Micah clearly communicated God’s desire through that prophesy — just three things are required: justice, mercy, and humility. It’s interesting to note that although there is action involved, each of those requirements starts with a soft and loving heart. We won’t act justly if we harbor resentment or hate. We won’t show kindness and mercy if we seek to serve ourselves, and a prideful heart will always walk ahead of God. Could those three conditions apply to me today? Maybe all God is asking of me is to stand for what is right…to choose kindness…and to walk closely to Him, submitting my will daily. Perhaps I’m making my choice harder than I have to. If I strip away all the man-made rules and all the expectations I’ve placed on myself, and if God hasn’t clearly spoken to me, then the only thing that matters is if my heart is in the right place—near God’s.

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