Tuesday, April 8, 2014

PLEASING GOD

God's Word tells us, using only nine words, how a believer can please Almighty God.  Micah wrote: 
"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God" (Mic. 6:8)?

DO JUSTLY - "Do the right thing!"  Unfortunately, we often fail.  It is of extreme importance that we make "it right."  The Lord is so serious about this, that He insists a believer be in fellowship with other believers, before approaching Him.  Jesus taught:  "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (Mt. 5:23-24).

LOVE MERCY - "Forgive as you would be forgiven!"  Just as we often fail to live as God would have us to live, our brothers and sisters in the Lord have the same problem.  We must be willing to show them mercy, and forgive them.  Jesus said:   "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses" (Mk. 11:25-26). 

WALK HUMBLY WITH THY GOD - living one's life under the Lordship of Christ, and living it as a servant of one's fellow man.  When one believes the Gospel, and desires to be saved, he calls upon Jesus, who is Lord!  Paul said it this way:  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9).

And, in submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we need to humble ourselves and become the servants of the brethren.  Jesus set the example for us:  "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:5-8).  John wrote:  "Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you" (Jn. 13:13-15).

"Love God; love man," is demonstrated by "serving God; serving man!"

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