Don't overcomplicate it

Have you ever wondered, "What is God’s will for my life?"

In the Old Testament book of Micah, the people of Israel accused God of being unfair and demanding too much of them. God's reply is found in Micah 6:8:

"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."

God essentially told Israel, "You act as if what I require of you is a mystery, but it is no mystery at all. I have shown you clearly what is good and what I require of you."

And what did God require? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

It was as if God said, "What I require of you isn’t complicated—simply do three things."

1. Act justly: Treat others fairly and as you would want to be treated.

2. Love mercy: Not only show mercy but love to show mercy. Give others the same measure of mercy you want to receive from God.

3. Walk humbly with your God: Remember who the Lord is—your God. If you keep that in mind, you will walk humbly before Him.

We need to learn what God wanted Israel to learn from Micah. None of us can keep God’s law perfectly; only Jesus did that. But today, by the power of the Spirit, God’s people can do what God requires of us in a general sense. So let’s not overcomplicate it.

As far as God is concerned, the way you relate to the people around you is simple: act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Trust in Jesus and look for practical ways to live that out today.

Drinking from the saucer

It is funny things that come to mind.  I was recently putting some dishes away in our china cabinet and my eyes fell upon a teacup and saucer tucked away at the back of the top shelf.  As I looked at the drinking vessel it made me think of my maternal grandfather.

When I was a kid we would spend my summer holidays visiting my family in India.  And the teacup sparked a memory of my grandfather drinking hot tea out of a fancy tea cup but rather than sipping out of the cup, he would pour the tea into the saucer and drink from the there.

I had watched him do this for years and then one time I asked him why he didn’t drink from the cup. He explained to me that once his teacup had overflowed and spilled into the saucer,  he didn’t want to waste the tea so drank it from the saucer and discovered that in the saucer it was the perfect temperature.

This is what stuck with me: he drank from the saucer because his cup overflowed.

And as I think about it today, isn’t that a perfect analogy for God’s goodness to us.

In Psalm 23:5 David writes, “You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows”… David is so aware of the blessings of God in his turbulent life - he describes it as his cup overflowing with God’s goodness and blessings in his life.

If we stop and think about it - we are each so very blessed. With a heart full of gratitude, we too could drink from the saucer!

Perfect peace

Have you ever noticed that what you spend time thinking about has the power to effect your emotions, your actions and ultimately your character?  Your thoughts have the power to make you anxious, fearful, happy or content?

I could be having a simply lovely day and then my mind turns to something that was said, or what someone did and my thoughts start to swirl and the next thing you know I am miserable.

I have said it before and I will say it again, our mind is a powerful thing!

Isaiah  26:3 says “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you”.

This verse tells us that we can have perfect peace if our minds are focused on God… but more than that, we need to trust God.

And if I am being very honest, when I begin to stew and become anxious about whatever it is, it’s because I have taken God out of the equation.

Can you imagine perfect peace? Doesn’t that sound good?

Perfect peace is available to those who consistently trust in God — trusting in who God is and what God has done for us.

There are a number of simple ways we can fix our thoughts on God, for example, through the reading of God’s Word; through prayer; and through worship. In what ways do you fix your thoughts on God?

As your mind is steadfast on God, know that God is there for. Be patient. Trust God and experience God’s perfect peace.