What God Requires

"Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?  Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?  No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."  Micah 6:7-8

Have you ever had Satan whisper negative thoughts in your ear?  

We've all experienced that, haven't we?  

Sometimes it can be difficult for us to differentiate between God's unconditional love for us:  no performance required, and what it means to walk in close communion with Him:  a faith-filled life lived in obedience to His will.

God will never, ever stop loving us, all of us--no matter what.  We find this truth throughout Scripture, and the verse that I think of readily is Romans 8:38, in which Paul says, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.  Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love."

That's pretty clear.  God loves you and He loves me, and He's never ever going to stop.  God loves those who have accepted Him and those who have rejected Him.

But, there is a vast difference between God loving us and God being pleased with us.  

Close fellowship and communion with our Abba Father can only come from a personal relationship with Him--a life lived in obedience to Him and following His own law of love in relating to Him and to others.  This is a life that rejects sin and pursues righteous living--the righteousness He desires. That kind of life requires faith in Jesus Christ, and Him alone.

The Holy Bible says it like this in Hebrews 11:6, "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him."

Matthew 7:21 tells us, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter."

And, Matthew 3:8, "Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God."

Heaven is real, and hell is equally real.  Satan would have us believe that a loving God would never necessitate a consequence for sinful actions.  But, these consequences are precisely what demonstrate His love so perfectly.  

"May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."  Ephesians 3:19

Goodnight, Runners.