Weekly devotional - Doing good and being good in today’s world
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. We neglect doing what we're supposed to do and we make wrong choices at times, and do things we should not. We try to live only by our desires, emotions and needs. But if we do, we'll miss out on what our loving God has in store for us.
Sometimes we miss out because we don't know the path to take, or how to course correct in time. Yet, the prophet Micah has simple instructions on how to be good and do good for you and others.
Why do we seem not to be able to do as He instructed?
We want to go our own way. It seems like the right way to get where we want to go. But being wise in our own eyes is pride. To combat this tendency, the Lord instructs us to fear Him and turn away from evil. This “fear” isn’t dreading God the Father, but an attitude of respect that motivates us to obey Him for both our good and His glory.
We want money and material things. A desire for a great lifestyle and fear of not having enough leads us to hang onto everything we get. But Scripture directs us to honor God by giving Him the first part of all we have, trusting Him to provide for our needs.
We don’t like God’s discipline. His painful reproofs seem to prove that He doesn’t care about us. But our heavenly Father says His discipline is the evidence that confirms His love and delight in us as His children.
Sometimes in our desire to follow the Lord, we focus on obedient actions—doing what He says—but miss His instruction concerning our attitudes and thought patterns. To stay of a Godly path, yes we must be obedient. But we also must make course corrections in our behavior and our hearts and our minds.
Let’s pray:
Dear Holy and Omniscient God:
Thank you for knowing the best path for my life and for not abandoning me to my own ways. Help me remember your truth and path as I live out my days. I know I often ignore your guidance because of pride. I often try to make my own path with disastrous results. Help me follow you not only with my actions, but my thoughts and attitudes. Help me Lord to finish the race, guide me forward to you, to your glory, in your plan for my life. Guide me with wisdom to your throne. May your mercies follow me all the days of my life, and may the fruit of your Holy Spirit reside with me. In the name of the Christ, Jesus, our Lord, Amen.