Micah and relationships

This week, the Birneys have agreed to write our devotionals for us:

Micah 6:6-7

“With what shall I come to the LORD and bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my first-born for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

We all want to please God, have Him be proud of us and we wonder what the best way to accomplish the task is. It seems to me that is what is going on here in this passage from the book of Micah. What church function is the best one to participate in? How much will it cost to have God on my side? Even though I may not say it out loud I sometimes live my life trying to earn God’s favor by all the “church” that I do. In every case I think that we make things more complicated than they really are.

Micah 6:8

“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?

It is not about the committees that we are a part of or how many preaching calendars that we make. It is not about how many classes we teach or how many Bible classes we facilitate. Our relationship with the LORD is based on our relationship with other people!! Are we doing them justice, are we dealing with them in love and kindness, and in everything do we recognize that God is bigger than anything we do? In this place it is easy to feel like we are not doing enough, but if we are loving each other, loving our boys, and loving our God there is nothing greater that we can do.

May God bless you,

Joshua Birney
Westview House Parent