TODAY IS…

a good day to ask, “What does God want from me?”

“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?”  Micah 6:6 NASB

God was angry with Israel and Judah.

Very angry.

Micah listed the reasons for God’s anger: fraud, murder, corruption, loving evil, stealing. Yes, God was very angry and He had good reason to be.

The people of Israel talked about ways to appease Him.

“Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 6:7 NIV).

Sometimes the tendency of humans is to make a bad situation worse by adding insult to injury. As Micah told the people of Israel and Judah, “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 NASB).

What does God want from us?

Decency.

Morality.

Kindness.

Compassion.

Love.

Are any of these things any less than we would expect from Him? Is it so hard for us to be fair in our dealings with others? Is it so difficult to respect ourselves and those around us? Is it unreasonable for God to expect us to put others before ourselves? Is that so hard to do?

God does not want us to sacrifice calves or any other animals; He doesn’t want a river of olive oil; and He certainly doesn’t want the sacrifice of our first born or any other child.

He wants us to love one another and look out for one another.

In other words, He wants us to live for one another and not just for ourselves. In doing this, we become living sacrifices in service to God.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.” (Romans 12:1 NLT).

This is something that we should all be willing to do with a joyful attitude. After all, did God not sacrifice His son for us?

Obedience from our hearts, love for one another and love for the One who gives us so much. That’s what He wants from us and we should give it humbly, joyfully, and with thanks.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson