What Does HE Want From Me?

 

In response to the title question, two verses came to mind:

• 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
• Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29

“Doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God” cover a lot of territory with regard to our responsibilities. Justice and mercy involve the way we will “love our neighbors” (another expectation of God) and walking humbly with God expresses our view of Him as the Greatest and ourselves as the lesser (demonstrated in the way we do justice and love mercy). Applying these can come in every setting and every sphere of our lives.

Do you know people who claim to be Christians but believe that the Old Testament is outdated and not worthy of serious study? Or, they believe that man’s laws are higher than God’s laws)? Think about things like jail time instead of a death sentence for murderers or a free pass from God to kill your baby in the womb because “abortion is legal in this country.”

Today, a professing Christian argued that abortion was implemented by God when He ordered the killing of all firstborns! So, she has heard an Old Testament passage but clearly has not studied what God was doing as He, in severe judgment of the Egyptians because of their treatment of His people, took the firstborn of their wicked families – even of the animals, on the night He decided to free His own people (Exodus 12:1-14).

This woman mocked and accused the people who are trying to teach women who are planning to kill their own babies (firstborn or not) that there is a way to peace and freedom through Christ that will spare them the guilt of living with the murders of their own children.

As I was reading this woman’s comments, I was wondering what God expects of me/us? She is certainly not the only one who has a false understanding of the Word of God. What are our responsibilities?

Are we just to “agree to disagree?” Of course not. How would that honor God or bring blessing to another person?

How many “professing” Christians (they do not look saved to me but I can’t see their hearts) are this poorly taught? How many churches are not teaching at all about abortion or discerning truth according to the scriptures and not according to the world?

One of the expectations that God has of us is that we will teach, first, our own children. Deuteronomy 6:6-8 clearly tell us that it is our job to make sure that our own children know His commands and His word that they might live according to it. This is not just to be His law but we are to tell the next generation of His marvelous works (Psalm 78:1-5,89:1)!

In an “iron sharpens iron” way, we are also to teach those in our own local assemblies. “The older woman” is to teach the “younger woman.” God is even specific about the things we are to teach: “admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed” (Titus 2:4-5).

And God expects us to do more than just avoid doing evil with the pagans around us.  Ephesians 5:11 says, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”  So we are to uphold the truth in the face of falsehoods.  No, God has never approved abortion!

As God expects us to remain faithful to Him and to His Word, we must consider that this is not an intellectual “I believe” faith. This is an active faith that obeys God when He reminds us that we are to “be doers of the word and not hearers only” (James 1:22).

As we live in a time of human confusion and the judgment of God, will you ask with me, “What does God want from me?” How could I be more obedient with regard to justice, mercy and humility as God requires them?