WHAT TO DO



This last week I listened to many voices providing reasons why Dallas Police officers were shot and killed along with solutions for what to do moving forward. Surely we will stop short of being nostalgic about the way things used to be and realize that the cat-is-out-of-the-bag and there is no going back. I offer the following to Christ-followers a reminder and a solution to move forward successfully.

Christ-followers seem at times to make the Christian life far too complicated. Do you know what God wants from his people? “The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

He wants us to do right—to do justice. We have, deep within, an ingrained sense of what is fair and what is good and what is right. And he wants us to do it, to the best of our ability.

He wants us to love mercy. That means he wants to give mercy to others when they need it. And he wants us to enjoy mercy—to be happy when people are forgiven. You see God is all about mercy.

And he wants us to walk humbly with him. How do we do that? Well, Jesus made it possible for us to walk with God. He wants us to do justly, but we haven't always done justly, have we? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). He wants us to love mercy, but all of us have been guilty of being unmerciful —of wanting mercy for ourselves, but refusing to give it to others.

God included the word 'humbly' in this requirement because we need to remember that when it comes to life in God, we have nothing to brag about. We're all sinners, saved by grace—"Not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:9)

The only way we come to God is in humility, asking for his mercy, asking for the strength to do what is right. It is in this humble submission to the Lordship of Christ that we experience God's favor in our lives.

It is heartbreaking knowing that Americans hate each other because of the evil ones that fan the flames of racial bigotry. But, for those who are called by His name there can be no doubt what you are to do. Begin today to live justly loving mercy and walking humbly with God so that by that walk others will desire to walk that way and eliminate the need to protest but rather praise the only God of true freedom.

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