Every believer reaches that “ah ha!” moment in their life when they suddenly realize there is a God in this world and His Son is Jesus Christ. That certain knowledge affects everyone differently. For some the magnitude and majesty of God is overwhelming, like an onrushing locomotive with the horn blaring. For others God is a soft whisper in their soul or a gentle breeze. For most people their reaction to the certain knowledge of God lies somewhere between these two extremes.
For me it was the train coming down the tracks, which was a personal call to arms. Being the planner and problem solver that I am, I launched into full investigation mode. What does God expect of me? Our ultimate goal is to live our lives in a manner that pleases God and to avoid anything that displeases Him. The Bible says you cannot please God without faith so the first thing you have to do is to believe that God exists and that he is a rewarder of those who love him. The second thing you must do to please God is obey his commands; the most important of which is to witness for Christ and to do good works.
You can’t obey God’s commands if you don’t know what they are so the first order of business for any believer is to immerse themselves in God’s Word so you will know what God expects of you. God will hold you accountable. Very few Christians actually study God’s Word. The Bible contains 129 commands from God that believers are to obey (some are redundant). Anyone dedicated to knowing God and obeying his commands must read the Bible daily with prayer and meditation so the Holy Spirit is active in their lives revealing the truth of Scripture. Believers must read their Bibles cover to cover multiple times so they know God’s Word intimately. God is communicating with us when we read the Bible and when we pray we are talking directly to God and according to Scripture God hears our every word. Two-way communication with God is vital for a healthy relationship.
God tells us what he expects of believers in the Old Testament:
Micah 6:8 – 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?
The above verse is the essence of the Christian faith and we should etch it in our hearts. It’s my favorite Bible verse along with John 3:16. Let’s break down Micah 6:8 so we clearly understand what God is telling us. In other verses of the Bible God has explained what is ‘good” so we don’t have to guess what God means here in Micah 6:8.
Psalm 14:1 – The fool has said in his heart, “there is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable works, there is none who does good.
Psalm 14:3 – They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.
Psalm 37:3 – Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Those who believe in Him God calls “good”. In a double meaning, God also commands believers to do good works. Twice in the above verses God calls unbelievers corrupt and the dictionary defines corrupt as evil or very immoral. On the other hand, God calls believers just the opposite which is “good” and “moral”. An abomination is a Bible term used to describe a thing which God hates or finds disgusting. A person wishing to please God should obey His commands, emulate Christ in all their actions and above all, love what God loves and hate what God hates. God asks three things of believers:
1. To act justly – If someone is just they act with justice which the dictionary defines as the quality of being morally right and fair. A person’s character and behavior matter most to God and their actions should meet God’s standard. God places in everyone’s heart the ability to know right from wrong and through prayer God will help us emulate Christ.
2. To love mercy – God is faithful to us and in his mercy he has forgiven us of our sins and by his grace he has granted us eternal life. We are to love God for his mercy toward us and we must show that same love and mercy to others.
3. Walk humbly with God – We are to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior and then obey God’s commands. We are to witness for Christ and do good works during our brief time on earth in order to build up treasures in heaven that will last an eternity. In the Old Testament the statement walking with God meant living in humble obedience to God’s will. We may not be able to obey all of God’s commands all of the time but we should strive to obey God to the best of our ability while asking for forgiveness when we fall short. The Christian faith is a marathon not a sprint and we are to persevere in doing good works.
Genesis 6:9 – Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
Genesis 5:24 – And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
In summary, to please God always strive to do the right thing as your conscience dictates. Love your God for the mercy and grace he has shown you unto salvation. Be obedient to the commands of your God. If you do these three things God will be satisfied according to Micah 6:8, and on the last day you will hear Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Witnessing for Christ