Discipleship
Obedience: What Does The Lord Require Of You?Discussion
During my quiet time, I try to read or listen to God’s word daily. Over the years I’ve learned that while everything I read or hear during this time may not seem to stick, it actually does, and God is faithful to use His Word in my life at just the right times. Lately that has been true with a verse that I read several weeks ago in Micah, specifically, Micah 6:8. Micah asks the question "What does the LORD require of you?" It is a question that continues to permeate my thinking. What does the Lord require of me?
If we continue reading this passage, Micah provides us the answer: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." How simple, and yet how profoundly difficult to do. So often I find myself acting exactly the opposite. Knowing this, I’ve spent the past few weeks seeking His guidance regarding how to go about answering and following His command. What does God require of me and how can I do it? Here are a few things that He has shown me that may also speak to you, as you the face the challenges of living a life most pleasing to God.
First, I’ve learned from Malachi 3:6 that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He expected from Micah and the people of Israel, He also expects from us today. I cannot use the excuse that we live in different times with a heavier workload, or blame it on all sorts of life’s pressures that Old Testament people did not experience. No, from Nahum 1:7, I learned that I have no excuse, because "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him."
Second, I’ve learned the value of waiting patiently. For me, when times are challenging and when the path forward is uncertain, seeking God’s will requires great patience. James really speaks to me when he says in James 1:19 that "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."
Third, I’ve learned that God does not expect me to know and do His will without His help, but He wants us to take the first step by asking Him. In Matthew 7:7-8, God tells us to "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." If I am to know and do God’s will, I must first seek Him out, and He will be faithful. If I have the patience, God will answer. He will reveal His will, and He will equip me for the challenges at hand.
Fourth, I need to possess a humble and contrite heart and a desire to please only Him. Psalm 19:14 must be my sincere prayer if I am to do what the Lord requires of me. In this passage, the Psalmist prays "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."
And finally, and perhaps of the utmost importance, is Christ’s command to us in Matthew 6:33. In this verse, Jesus tells us that our first priority is to seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. As each of us faces the challenges of the day, may we have the patience to wait on Him. If our heart is a servant’s heart, if our spirit is a teachable spirit, and if we sincerely want to do whatever it is that the Lord requires of each of us, then He will be faithful to reveal His will to us and to work out His purpose in our lives.
May we be found faithful in seeking and doing what the Lord requires of each us.
In Christ,
Wes
May 24, 2009