At church on Sunday we kicked off the year focusing on a particular verse that will be our theme. It was this: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 Act Justly Love Mercy Walk Humbly Simple really, but also deeply challenging. Very easy to say and put on a banner or on a card but when you really drill down to the heart of each of these three things that God requires it requires you to live a radically different life to the way of the world. There has been lots of talk of humility with the Premier League with various players making statements about staying humble but in the end many have an ego the size of the weekly pay cheque. Being humbly before God is recognising your need of him. I cannot do the things I do in my own strength but in Gods. I have fallen short of perfection, and sin has broken me to the point that I cannot ever fix myself or my status....only God can do that - through Jesus. Being merciful is also tough - because it means showing kindness not just to those who deserve it, but to those who don't. That person who cut in front of you; the noisy neighbour whose dog barks nonstop 24/7; the homeless lady who keeps asking for money from you every time you pass. But this is the point really. Showing kindness to people you get on with is easy, anyone can do that. But to turn the other cheek or go the extra mile is the right thing, the kind thing, the merciful thing and ultimately the Christ like thing as well. Acting justly is probably the messiest one as this one often requires one to roll up your sleeves and do something. Being merciful or kind could simple be saying a kind word or something encouraging, but to act justly implies you are actively doing something on behalf of someone or a group of people who cannot get the justice they deserve. It also often puts you on one side of a situation that can be costly to you. But again Jesus when he saw how women were treated, or the sick and infirm, or the young always acted for their benefit even though it caused others to look down and judge him harshly. This year as a church and as a minister I am hoping we can become more Christlike in all these areas. You can watch the service below God Bless Jon
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