I've Been Shown

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8

I shared this verse with my confirmation class this past Sunday, and was then reflecting on it later in the day, and had a sort of epiphany. This single verse is a microcosm of the Trinity. What does the Lord require of us? To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

Justice is the law, as it comes to us through the Old Testament. God the Father - the lawgiver. Being a Christian may free us from the judgement of the law, but it does not free us from following the law. Jesus himself stated that he did not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it. It is our responsibility as Christians to act justly, in accordance with God's Law.

Loving mercy is the essence of Christ. The very fact that we sinners have been given the gift of salvation is the ultimate act of mercy. We, too, need to show the same mercy, or kindness, in our lives.

Walk humbly with God. Before Jesus' assention, he promised that he would send them a companion, the Holy Spirit. As two people walking together are companions, so also is God the Holy Spirit our companion as we walk the road of life. The key, though, is to walk humbly. We must guard against being to self-assured, too arrogant, in our walk of life.

There is another way of looking at this. Doing justly - Old Testament. Loving mercy - Gospels. Walking humbly with God - New Testament.