Micah 6:7-8 (MSG)
“Would God be impressed with thousands of rams,
with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,
my precious baby, to cancel my sin?
“Would God be impressed with thousands of rams,
with buckets and barrels of olive oil?
Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child,
my precious baby, to cancel my sin?
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It is quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love. And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.”
what God is looking for in men and women.
It is quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love. And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.”
Walking in righteousness is not so much a question of how can I cancel my sin, how can I obtain more spirituality, or even a way to get closer to God, but rather a way of life.
You may have heard something like this before; to follow Jesus is to love God and to love people. Sometimes we pair that with the idea to just stop sinning all together. Let’s think beyond the act of avoiding sin as an end goal because that might result in bringing us to zero, instead pushing us to focus on communion with Jesus.
The prophet Micah expresses that God has already made it plain how to live – do what is fair and just to those around you, be sincere in your love, and be humble. This is possible in humility striving to be available to God in the simplicity of seeking communion with him. Walking in righteousness and turning from our sin are both good things but not the goal in themselves. Rather, they’re the result of seeking communion with God. Relationship is the goal. The result is righteousness and a desire to not sin.