He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

O man … O woman … what does the Lord require of us? Don’t you think we should sit up and take notice of this? This is a major announcement of what God is looking for in those who desire to follow His will. Isn’t that you and me?

This unambiguous expression of what God expects of His people is preceded by a litany of old covenant worship rituals that God is not interested in, including burnt offerings, calves a year old, thousands of rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil. To which we could add today our modern services of worship with elaborate music, drama and video. No. God is clearly not interested in any of this compared to what He requires in Amos 6:8.

Well then, what is He interested in? What does He require of you and of me? Shouldn’t we know this? Shouldn’t this be one of the most important verses in the whole Bible — right up there with John 3:16? What does God require of us — but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. There it is: three things — justice, kindness and humility. The big three things God requires are strangely not brought up very often in a Christian context.

God’s justice contrasts with the world’s empires and philosophies which fail to address humanity’s brokenness. Jesus went about setting things right and he wants us to do the same. He treated everyone with value, even the mentally ill, and gave special attention to the vulnerable and identified with “the least of these.” He even said that whatever we do for them “you have done it unto me.”

If we are going to follow Him and “do justice,” we would want to do everything in our power to set right what we can that has gone wrong in our own families and in the world. Where you live should not define whether you live.

And what about loving kindness? If you love kindness you love being kind, and believe me, kindness is in short supply right now with so much division in the world. It’s easy to be kind to your own kind, but being kind to your enemy is what Jesus is looking for. It will set us apart. It’s an opportunity for the gospel of welcome because no one is expecting it. Think about who you could be kind to that would not be expecting it, and let a breath of fresh air into the relationship.

The word for kindness here is also translated, mercy. Mercy is not giving somebody what they deserve. We waste so much time on revenge and retribution. Besides, revenge and retribution creates a cycle of reciprocity that is never over. Our sense of justice does demand a response when someone does evil to someone else, but God warns us not to take this into our own hands; instead, He will repay. Only mercy on our part will break the cycle.

And finally, humility. The prophet says “to walk humbly with your God.” Well that makes sense. Who in their right mind can be anything but humble around God? In the presence of God you have to face your utter depravity. And the only way you can do that and live is through God’s mercy and love. So that every day you are aware of both your depravity and God’s mercy, and that keeps you humble. From that standpoint, everyone looks better than you. You look up to everyone.

What have I ever done to deserve even one of the pleasures I’ve known?

What did I ever do that was worth loving You for the kindness You’ve shown?

Lord help me Jesus, I’ve wasted it so, help me Jesus, I know what I am.

Now that I know that I needed You so, help me Jesus, my soul’s in Your hand.

Jesus … my soul’s in Your hand.

              – Kris Kristofferson

Introducing our new podcast, Between the Answers 

“Between the Answers” podcast will look back to the pioneers of a historical phenomenon: the Jesus Movement, examine why it transformed into a broader social and political force over time, and ask questions about the Movement’s original message and its transformative power today. Our premise lies in the questions we need to ask between the answers.

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