What Does God Require?

Have you ever asked the question "What does God require from me?" Thinking about that answer can sometimes feel overwhelming. There are so many things that we "think" God requires from us such as, doing a lot of church work, doing a certain number of "good deeds", extreme sacrifices in our lives, always doing everything perfect, spending lengthy hours in meditation, or reading our bible from Genesis to Revelation every year. With that kind of a list we can definitely feel overwhelmed. What if our idea of what God requires from us, and His requirements of us are not the same lengthy list at all, but just 3 things? Micah 6:8 specifically tells what God requires from us:

"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you except to be just, and to love and diligently practice kindness and compassion, and to walk humbly with your God, setting aside any sense of self-importance or self-righteousness.”

God is just, which means He is always fair, and He works to make wrong things right. We should treat people justly and work to see justice is done in their lives. Many people have been terribly mistreated and abused. As God's representatives we have the opportunity to tell them of what Jesus Christ died to give them, life, everlasting life. We can help to restore them to the knowledge of God and His love for them, as well as bring aid and help to them in their current situation.

God is also merciful and kind, so therefore we should be merciful and kind toward others. The world pressures people to be and act perfectly that is the opposite of what God does. God loves and accepts. Romans 2:4 states that "it is the kindness of God, not the judgement of God, that leads people to repentance". Our job is to not be fault finders, but to give mercy and compassion to others, just as God showed us mercy and compassion.

Finally, we are to walk in humility with God. We all know how it feels for someone to look down on us as if we just don't quite measure up. The attitude of our heart and mind towards others and ourselves should always be focused on humility. The bible states that "everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"; therefore no one is above anyone else. A disrespectful attitude and harsh behavior towards others are what results from lack of humility in our walk with God. It also causes hurt feelings and anger between us and other people.

We should all strive to give God what He truly requires, which is to act justly towards each other, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him. Amen

Too Busy for God

We make time for and devote energy to the things that are important to us. We call those things priorities. As we each prioritize our lives, I hope that none of us have become too busy for God. I pray that each of us carves out time and space for the Lord in our life. When we fail to do so life becomes empty. We see this happen in the book of Haggai.

God’s people, after returning from captivity in Babylon, were tasked by the Lord to rebuild the temple. They ran into some difficulties and the project was put on hold for many years. God sent the prophet Haggai to them to tell them it was time to get back to work and finish the task God had given them. They could no longer focus on their own priorities, they needed to prioritize the things of God. Their lives were missing something vital because their priorities were out of whack. Listen to God’s reminder from Haggai 1:9 (ESV),

You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.

Life is not what it should be when we push God to the side or make Him take a back seat. God is meant to be the one thing at the center of our life that all things revolve around. If we have God, we have all things, because He is the creator and sustainer of all. However, if we don’t have God, we really don’t have anything at all.

How have your priorities been lately? Have you made time to read your Bible, go to church, or spend time in prayer? If your priorities have gotten off track, set them right today. Make time for God. Choose to open your life to Him and watch how He fills it.

Christmas All Year Round

Sometimes we hear someone say, “It just doesn’t feel like Christmas.” We may be in the midst of the busy holiday season, but in our heart, it didn’t feel like Christmas.

We are no longer kids, and the magic of childhood innocence is gone. Now we have life circumstances to deal with and sometimes that crushes our Christmas spirit. We aren’t kids anymore and have to deal with life’s sadness and its ups and downs.

We need to remind ourselves that, even though life gets messy and painful in the moment, we should intentionally redirect our thoughts from our problems to the manger and the hope Jesus’ birth brings. We can focus on the blessings we have and find joy in the little things through the strength of Christ alone. We can commit to hang onto hope and remember that Christmas spirit must come from Christ, not our external circumstances.

In the Christmas story, we read about the promise of hope. The angel said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you, he is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)” Most believers know this popular passage well, but in the face of great pain, suffering, and adversity, we often forget the meaning, even at Christmas. Heartache, grief, pain, or anger can easily cause us to lose sight of the fact that this is the season we celebrate God sending his Son into the mess of our lives so we can have hope and joy no matter what.

Maybe for some it has been a difficult year from personal situations, separation, divorce, heartbreak, not being with family, loss of a loved one, kids grown up and have moved on, loss of a job and on and on. Whatever the reason, if your Christmas spirit feels crushed, you’re lacking joy, and feeling void of hope, remember that although life continually changes, Jesus and His love for us never does. Redirecting our thoughts to focus on the hope and joy available to us because of His holy birth can restore the most broken spirit.

Our level of Christmas spirit will always depend on where we are looking for it. Look to Jesus.

Dear Lord, you know the heaviness of our hearts. Please help us refocus on you and the fact that you sent your son to this earth as a baby so we could live with hope despite our circumstances. Refresh our Christmas spirit and infuse us with the joy we long to have in Jesus. Amen.

Limitless Faith

Jesus put His hands over their eyes and said, “You will have what your faith expects.” -Matthew 9:29, The Passion Translation

Have you ever asked yourself, “What does my faith expect?” Nothing is impossible for God, absolutely nothing whether we choose to believe it or not. The place where our faith ends isn’t a determination of what is true and possible with God. He asks us to have faith the size of a mustard seed, but what if we started having limitless faith? What amazing miracles would happen then?!

Lack of faith will only hinder us, so God has invited us to grow in our faith and believe absolutely anything is possible with Him. Do you believe anything is possible? Not the things that others tell us is possible with God, but ANYTHING is possible. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So why wouldn’t we have faith that miraculous healing, amazing blessings, and unlimited protection would be given to us from God every day? Sometimes we see others receiving amazing things from God, and think why is that not happening in my life? Have we ever considered it may be the size of our faith that is the cause? What wonderful things could happen in our lives, if we started out each morning with limitless faith?

We believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again to save our souls, but what about our daily lives? He doesn’t stop at just saving our souls. He longs to be a part of everything in our lives, and He wants to help us carry our burdens each day. He knows how to take care of us if we would just let go and allow Him to do it. It’s risky, it’s scary, but it’s always worth it. Ask yourself, what does my faith expect from God today?