Evening
January 10

Micah 6:6-8 6With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8He has showed you, O man, 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.


When you begin to understand the holiness of Almighty God, you know you must worship Him. What could you bring that would please Him? The ancients offered animal sacrifices. For the life they had received, they offered the life of an animal that they were custodians over. The valuable products of daily life, meat and oil, were offered in thanksgiving and honor to the Great Provider. Some cultures sacrificed their firstborn to be right with God. The God of the Bible said He never asked for that from man. What can we do about our offenses, the sin of our soul? Micah tells the people that they already know. God had shown us what is good. He has shown us His requirements.

The first listed is to act justly. Greed had perverted justice in the legal system and in the business world. The poor were taken advantage of. The second requirement was to love mercy.They had hardened their hearts toward having any mercy, not realizing God was extending immeasurable mercy to them at that very moment. The last requirement was to walk humbly with God. They, in pride, had turned their backs on His laws.

If the people Micah addressed took to heart these simple requirements of God, they would have repented and pleaded for God's mercy. The change in their lives would have brought about a new lifestyle that reflected God's attributes. Instead, they went through empty religious rituals.

God requires the same things from us. The only way we will ever walk in justice, mercy, and humbly with God is through the life of Christ in us.

Consider: We often think God is after sacrifice. He is after a heart yielded to Him. That results in acting justly and with mercy and humility. Is your heart yielded to Him?