Day 27: Justice, Mercy, and Humility
Lord, You have shown us what is good and what You require: To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You, our God. May these children display these truths in their lives now, and forever. Micah 6:8 In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
If this is what God requires, as the scripture says, we may need to break it down just a bit to make sure we understand it.
To do justly … The generation just behind me is doing a good job of promoting social justice. From orphan care, to sex trafficking, to water projects, the awareness of need is made available more than ever. The Internet has brought the needs of the world to our doorsteps. And this is good and right. The one thing we need to be aware of is to make sure our causes line up with scripture. Pick best over good, eternal over temporary.
To love mercy … God wants us to be a champion of justice, and stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. He also wants us to live a life of mercy. What is mercy? Not getting what we deserve. Mercy is a lot like compassion mixed with forgiveness. God extends it to us and we should extend it to others. And we should love it, seek after it, look for opportunities to extend mercy to those around us.
Finally, what does walking humbly with God look like? This is the picture in my mind: When my daughter, Sally, was little, she always wanted to hold my hand when we walked together. There, holding hands, standing closely together, she talked, laughed, and sang with me. She often said, “Mama, I LOVE spending time with you!” or “Did you know I love you sooo much?!” Big words and thoughts for a three-year-old, but was (and still is) my Sally! When she is with me, she is really with me. To me, that is walking humbly. Being humble does not mean that we think badly of ourselves, it means we rarely think of ourselves. To walk humbly with God means that we rarely think of ourselves because our minds are too busy thinking of Him, and thinking of how we can extend justice and mercy to others.
