“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).
Many Christians often seek God for their health, welfare, career, home/car purchase, in other words, the things that give pleasure. But are these the things that God cares about the most? Jesus said in Matthew 6:7, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” This implies that God is mindful about the things of life that we care about. But what are the things that God cares about the most? We have a strong indication from the following verses when Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray.
“Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:9-13).
Did you notice how often Jesus mentioned the material things of life that we need, in other words, what kind of priority God puts on these things? It’s the fourth item on the list. The first three give us an indication of what God is really concerned about: his name, his kingdom, his will.
How often do you think about those things? How often do you think about God’s reputation, his kingdom, and his will? Here’s a simple test. The scripture says that if we are true Christians we will “walk as he walked” (I John 2:6). What does that mean? It means that Jesus’ first concern in life was that which his father was concerned with: His name, His kingdom, His will.
My fellow Christian, if you live your life day to day and have little or no thoughts in your mind about God, the Bible, church, or your testimony as a Christian then can you say with all confidence that you are really one of his children? What does God expect of us? He expects us to live for him just as he lived for us. Jesus lived for us, not himself. Jesus died for us, not himself. Jesus rose for us, not himself. And he is working in the world today on our behalf, that we might know him intimately and become like him.
Memory Verse
“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).
Application
The one who truly wants to be a Christian, a real Christian, is one who has these priorities in his life. Do a spiritual inventory about your life’s priorities. How can you rearrange your life so that you make God’s priorities your priorities?