“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” — Micah 6:8
I love coffee. There is just something about the smell, the taste, and the comfort after the first sip that can turn any day from not so good to great. The other morning I went into a local coffee shop. I wanted to try something new and different.
While waiting in line, I heard an argument between two people close by. It was meant to be private but as the disagreement escalated, so did the volume of the voices. Someone’s expectations had not been met and confusion and frustration had ensued. This scripture came to mind – as loud and clear as if someone were reading it from text.
And what does God require of you?
Of YOU, Mike Franklin, standing in line…waiting to try new coffee.
And of you…reading this devotional…maybe sipping coffee or working or relaxing on the front porch.
We are quick to point out our expectations of others, quick to fuss and stomp and yell when what we require of others isn’t done. But the very requirement God has for us is contrary to the consequences we place on others when our requirements aren’t met. Ironic, huh?
The disagreement continued and I actually left the coffee shop, having lost my desire to try something new and different.
God requires that we act justly to others. That means we listen. We demonstrate self-control. We find solutions.
He wants us to love mercy and give mercy to others. Loving mercy doesn’t just mean a oneway street where it is given to us. Demonstrating mercy is from us to others.
God asks that we walk humbly. Humbleness is an attitude that life isn’t about us.
I often laugh. A poll was taken to test the humility of people. A person was to rate himself/herself on a scale of 1 to 5 – 1 being not humble at all – 5 being extremely humble. Hmmmm…you get the dilemma, huh? It is difficult to quantify and study.
But when we are humble, show mercy, and act justly, our relationships improve; our attitudes change; and life is much easier to navigate. There are far less arguments. And many more reasons to smile.
Try it. Put on God’s requirements. See how they wear.
I challenge you to try it on.
Michael Franklin Ministries 
I really enjoyed reading this and the maturity I can see in you as a Christian. Our world is so full of impatient, arrogant, selfish people. I am amazed at the road rage I see today. Everyone’s in a hurry. They get up right behind you in their cars on the highway at night with their bright lights, blinding you, rushing you. But where are they going? Humility? It’s certainly not on their minds at that point. They don’t seem to understand that they may be blinding the person in front of them. So, reading this was refreshing and reminded me that, as a Christian, I should be humble, even though it’s hard not to revile back. Thank you.
P.S. I love coffee, too!!
Amen, pastor.
PS, you sure it wasn’t my parents that were “disagreeing “ ? LOL