Thursday, 9/19/19 – Discipleship – God’s Will

What does God want?

“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)

What does the Lord require of me? What does God want from me? What does He want me to do?

These are all questions a growing believer wants to know. In short: What is God’s will?

The answer to this question often eludes us because we are looking for an answer that describes some activity… some sort of busy-ness that we can do for God, an assignment. But God wants first and foremost a relationship. God did not send David to do conquests, and rule a nation until first David proved himself to be “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). In fact, it was because Saul was no longer in right relationship with God that God deposed him from the kingship.

What message did God give the prophet Micah? What were the people supposed to “do?” In vs. 6 &7 it seems they were seeking something they could proudly “do” for God. “Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn…” as if they had done all sorts of “legal ” things as the Law required, but still God was not satisfied. Like they were snapping back at Him, shouting “What do you want–blood?”

God answers through Micah, reminding them that He has already made clear His desire, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good…” What was that? “…To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

The first two result from the third “to walk humbly with your God.” To be in a child-Father relationship with Him… daily. This statement is similar to Jesus’ response when asked what was the greatest command of the Law. He said,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:36-40).

God does not ask us to “act like Jesus.” He desires no “repayment ” for salvation, no indebted servitude or sacrifice. His will is that we love Him in return and allow His transforming work within us to actually change us into the likeness of Christ.

Press on…

Are you interested in being discipled one-on-one in the fundamentals of new life in Christ? Or, perhaps you would you like to know how to begin this journey and take the very first of the First Steps by turning from your current path and committing your path to Christ? — Use the Contact page and we’ll get you started.