He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?
-Micah 6:8
How strong is your spiritual CPU?
Not a computer’s central processing unit, I’m talking about your Christ-Powered Understanding.
Does it currently meet the minimum requirements to be a disciple?
As requirements go, Micah’s list is a doozy. Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk Humbly.
But that’s not the end of the list. There are several other things God requires of us in scripture. Here are a couple examples:
- We are required to fear God, walk in his ways, love and serve him with all our hearts and souls. (Deuteronomy 10:12)
- The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us when we walk according to the Spirit instead of the flesh. (Romans 8:3-5)
How am I supposed to do the justice and kindness and humility? part AND all of these other requirements?
I don’t know if I have the bandwidth to do even the bare minimum.
One good thing: As Scripture moves from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, the requirements don’t simply disappear. They are reframed through Jesus, grace, and the Spirit.
The focus becomes less on completing a checklist, and more on responding to God’s grace. We are not loved because we meet the requirements. We try to meet the requirements because we are loved.
As Jesus said, “Everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required.” (Luke 12:48)
Discipleship is not software. God is not asking us to install holiness and click “I agree.” There’s lots of work to be done, but discipleship is about our response to God’s grace.
Check out your specs. Are you built for discipleship?
Some of us are running on out-of-date spirituality: old practices and routines that haven’t functioned well in years. Or maybe our batteries are running low and you can’t summon the energy.
Maybe your memory is failing and you’re forgetting your purpose. Maybe you need to clean your hard drive to make room for something new.
The most important component of your spiritual processor is Christ-Powered Understanding. The good news is that there are resources all around us: people, books, groups, pastors, prayer, worship, Scripture, and service that can help you make any necessary upgrades.
The more attention you devote to tapping into Christ’s power, the more you’ll be able to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
And if you get stuck, not to worry!
God’s Help Desk is open 24/7.
Mitch
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