“This is what [God] requires: to do what is right . . before God.” Micah 6:8 NLT
“Doing the right thing now is simpler than undoing the wrong thing later.”
My thoughts and comments today are to “do the right thing.”
It is not always easy to know the right thing to do, and actually doing the right thing is only harder. There is no one who has not learned that doing the wrong thing is not a very good alternative. Wrong never turns out right! Our lives tell the story of times when we haven’t known or done the right thing and the difficulty, hurt, and regret that resulted.
This is not a problem new to this generation. The prophet Micah wrote to people who had lost their way; having abandoned the Law of God, they no longer even knew the right thing to do. Ever been there, done that? In answer to their questions of what they could do to regain God’s favor, Micah’s answer was simple, “The Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what He requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 NLT. The basic observation I make from this passage is this: doing the right thing now is always simpler than undoing the wrong thing later. The right thing is rarely very complicated.
Examine that verse carefully and read it practically. God “has already told you;” they ignored but they could not plead ignorance. What does God want you to do? Do as God has told you – “what is good.” God does not make suggestions about right and wrong. He clearly sets forth His expectations in His Word – “this is what He requires.” Here’s the formula for pleasing God: “do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Simple, isn’t it?
“Do what is right.” Doing wrong when you know what is right will never work out well for you. The Bible says, “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:17 NIV. Is there anything unclear about that? Doing the wrong thing is rarely human error. God put a moral compass – a conscience – inside your spirit that warns you of wrong whether or not you can fully understand or explain that. “Because of this (Day of judgment), I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and everyone else.” Acts 24:16 NLT. Doing the right thing is always easier. Right and wrong is not what you want or decide it to be; it is what God declares it to be.
“Love mercy.” The right thing to do is to love to give mercy as much as you love to receive it. Everyone loves mercy that is shown to them; God calls you to love showing mercy to others as you desire to be extended to you. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy . . For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Matthew 5:7/James 2:13 NKJV.
“Walk humbly before your God.” Humility is the fruit of a personal realization of your own frailties when considering another’s failure. Humility is the only suitable posture of a person before God; arrogance and presumption of your innocence is distasteful. Peter learned the lesson painfully well, “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves . .” 1 Peter 5:5-6 NIV.
My prayer for you today is: do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do.