Requirements Of Godliness

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

I am not a gifted gift giver. I struggle with what to give people. I wonder if I will give them what they need. Once when I was wondering about this out loud, a friend of mine told me I should be asking what they want instead of what they need. Then the gift would have more meaning. I don’t know about the truth of that. But it does have some weight when we consider what to give someone who really doesn’t need anything. God is that kind of Someone. He needs nothing. But what does He want?
Have you ever struggled with what God requires from you? Have you ever worried about what pleases Him? Godliness is rooted in goodness. And goodness begins with God.
We can never give God enough of our best efforts to please Him. The best efforts of man fall short of God’s standard.

GOODNESS SATISFIES GOD.

I. THE LORD REQUIRES ACTIVE JUSTICE. To “do justice” means to practice righteousness. Our actions should demonstrate how a good God would act.

II. THE LORD REQUIRES A LOVE FOR KINDNESS. To “love kindness” means to hate indifference. Our actions should demonstrate a desire to show compassion to others. When we are kind to others, we do not ignore them in their plight. The worst thing is to show that others do not matter to us. People matter to God.

III. THE LORD REQUIRES HUMILITY IN HIS COMPANY. If you have ever been anywhere with a braggart or a loud, aggressive person, you don’t want to go there again. The Lord wants us to be with Him. But He wants us to be humble. To walk humbly with God is to know He permits us to accompany Him only by His grace. We cannot hold our heads high with pride while we bow low before His presence.

THE LORD REQUIRES GOODNESS.

1. We cannot sacrifice enough. Many sacrifices are insufficient.
2. We cannot be good enough. Our best efforts He regards as “filthy rags”.
3. We can only give him our lives and receive His in exchange.

WE MUST PRESENT OURSELVES TO GOD AS A LIVING SACRIFICE.
WE CANNOT BE GOOD WITHOUT GOD.