I’m meditating on wise words, wise actions and wise relationships as I prepare for our family fun days this summer and have been spending time pondering what God says about these things. One verse which has been on my heart is Micah 6:8, because this is what God says is good and is what He requires of us:
‘To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ (Micah 6:8)
Acting justly means we do what is right – not simply what is convenient or expedient. It means knowing what is right (just, fair, honourable), and this can only come as we dwell in God’s truth. What seems right to us is often tainted by selfishness or a desire for personal comfort. Acting justly can be extremely uncomfortable and costly.
Loving mercy is a necessary balance to justice, for we can easily become dogmatic, rigid, living by the letter of the law but failing to understand its spirit. Loving mercy guards us against the inflexible rigidity of the Pharisees, giving us an ability to care about individuals. Loving mercy is deeply personal and human (no AI advisor can help in this area!)
Walking humbly is one thing. This verse is up on the foyer wall of Horizon Community College in Barnsley, but the end of the verse (‘wtih your God’) is omitted. Humility on its own is not what God requires. He wants us to walk humbly with Him, so that our actions can be led and guided by Him. Humility acknowledges our lowliness in comparison to His greatness. It is not about self-deprecation, but means having a correct understanding of ourselves in relation to God (see Ps 8.)
This verse gives us so much to ponder and points us to a God-shaped wisdom, which can help us to navigate everyday life.