Justice and Mercy


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

Wouldn’t it be great to know what the Lord wants you to do in any particular situation in life? Even though it is not always so cut and dried, still you do have some Scriptures that point the way, if not specifically then at least in a general sense. Our verse today is one of those guideposts along the road of life. First, He tells you what to do then why to do it and finally how.

To do justly is to literally carry out the verdict decreed judicially by divine law. At first, that may seem like a God-given license to finally get even with anyone who has wronged you, as if God had appointed you to mete out justice according to their transgressions. That may seem like a great mission in life until you take a moment to consider that with the same measure you give, it will be given back to you. Oops! The good news is that Jesus took all the sin of the world upon Himself, so He has fulfilled the requirements of the Law.

There is, however, a royal law you are to live according to — the Law of Love. This may not at times seem like the easy way, but you are not called to the easy way; you are called to be a follower of Jesus. That brings us to the second part; to love mercy. After all, what’s not to love about mercy? Any time you find yourself not feeling as loving as you should toward someone, remember mercy. Remember how good God has been to you even when the Law would have condemned you. Because of the Law of Love, you have received the mercy of God. Do to others as Jesus has already done unto you.

Finally, we come to the how of the matter. Truly, it takes heavenly help to fulfill the Law of Love. Dishing out justice based on another’s actions is easy but alas, never satisfying! Showing mercy is not natural and thus must be done by choice, but it brings such a confirmation of God’s love, not just for the recipient but for you as well. It is a re-affirmation of the Father’s love for you.

So, how can you do what is not natural instead of taking the easy way? Once again, our verse has the answer — walk humbly with your God. To claim God as your own, you must have a relationship with Him. To walk with Him, you must be in right relationship with Him. That means that He is God and you are not! On the surface, that sounds like an obvious observation, but in reality, it’s something that everyone needs reminding of from time to time. When everything in life is about you, it’s easy to take offence at every injustice. But, when everything in life is about your God, love and mercy flow more freely!

Every day you have the opportunity to live this kind of life. To do what the Law of Love requires of you, even though it is not deserved. To show the same love you have been shown. To love mercy because you know how precious the mercy of your Savior is to you. And, it’s all made possible because of your Traveling Companion in this life. Jesus said He would never leave you or forsake you and He always keeps his word. You have been given a gift and the chance to give it to others. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God!

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