Requirements

I stood there at the checkout desk of Sports Authority watching Tiger Woods read his he written apology speech. And I stood there smugly thinking: man he has blown it...he has blown it with his reputation, blown it with his marriage, blown it with some of his sponsors, has blown it with his fans,,,and for sure just blown a pretty tightly contrived image.

But then I went to Sunday school and my teacher Roger was teaching on Micah 6. God calls Israel to stand and plead your case. I have asked permission to try to recall in my own words some of this lesson...because it was so applicable to my own life...even a story as old as this. Israel has turned its face from God...and God accuses them and says..... listen... and refreshes their memory of all that he has done on their behalf..

When we are in the throws of disaster...this is time that we need to be reminded of what God has done for us. Look back and be reminded of where God's footsteps have been in the past when tough times had landed on you. God got you and I through them...and they were hard and there were times we shuttered with fear and uncertainty...just as the Israelites did when they cam upon the Red Sea and looked behind them and saw the enemies gaining ground.

They had no choice than to trust God and follow their leader Moses. We have been at those same banks in our lives...where we have had no choice...but to trust God and follow the lead of His Holy Spirit....and looking back we did get safely across to the other side... maybe some of you are again at that bank..having to make a choice to trust God...or not? And remembering back reminds us that God is faithful..

God says to the Israelites: I brought you out of Egypt....have you forgotten the Red Sea event? I redeemed you when you were slaves. You have seen my miracles through the smoke that I led you with during the day and the fire at night. I gave you an excellent leader in Moses, maybe one of my best in all biblical history.

Almost the same way the journey began at the Red Sea it ended at the Jordan River...remember you needed help crossing there too....and you even left stones in the middle and at the bank on the other side to remind you that I had traveled along side you and provided for you. then Israel started thinking and realized this is a case we are going to lose...so there was thought of how to settle out of court...what about sacrifices...and what about money..and what being good for a while?

And we have done that too..when we have been in a fix or made some pretty big mistakes...we look for a way out of them. Hence the topic of Tiger Woods. Roger said he remembers Tony Compolla saying about Tammy Fay and Jim Bakker that the only difference in them and in me is they haven't found out about my sins yet. It is easy to point the finger and see clearly the errors of others but we so like to rationalize our own and think oh...we are not so bad...our sins surely are not so blatant as theirs...well the truth is they are...everyday...we are no better than Tiger Woods...we may not make the same blatant in your face sins...that are publicized...but if we were in the spotlight...of the media then we too would be at risk..at being exposed...for our faults and our weaknesses are just as prevalent...in the words we say, the deeds we do, the grudges we hold, the judgments we make but OH the idea that God even sees our thoughts is enough to get me crawling in to a hole..There is a mess of dirt in there.

So how do we fix it? Tiger has no true out ...for he believes that atonement comes only from himself...Buddhist...and he is trapped in a very isolated place...we on the other hand do have an out. We have been given a mediator who has come to our rescue and is willing to set us free from a lifetime of imprisonment. It is Jesus Christ.

What does God require of us...simply put:
1) ACT JUSTLY
2) LOVE MERCY
3) WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD

1) Do the right thing -it is never wrong to do the right thing...obey God

2) Love mercy..we have to love it because we need it so desperately..we are not able to obey God without God's help...and we have to love mercy because we are so needy of it... so much that we are willing to give mercy to others.We are all struggling and we all sin...there is not a one of us who is not standing before the Lord convicted...

3) Walk humbly - to live and love God is the point of life..

Micah 6: 8
8 He has showed you, O man, 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.

Israel chose to follow the evil kings..the Northern kings...they turned their back on right traditions and therefore they would be punished. God calls us to act justly...and love mercy and walk humbly with Him for our own protection.
We all stand in need of a Savior...for without him we are lost and imprisoned by our fears, our pride, our self absorbed sense of purpose, our restlessness and our judgments.

Until I am happy with God and what God gives I will never be satisfied...true with the Israelites, true with Tiger, and true with me. It is not the self seeking shrines that we are to live for...it is God's glory alone.

Dear Lord, Oh what a blessing it is to know that you have come to release us from the daily prisons that we live in. May we recognize that gift, accept it and appreciate it...today and always..Amen

Praise God wherever you are or whatever situation he has allowed you to be in...for His glory will shine through.

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