Radio Devotion: God’s Call to Justice, Mercy, and Humility

For the week of February 6-10, I was asked to record radio devotions for KCMR, a Christian radio station out of Mason City, Iowa. You can find all their radio devotions here on Soundcloud.

This devotion aired on February 7, 2017, and is based on my sermon from January 29, 2017, on God’s call to justice, mercy, and humbleness in Micah 6:1-8.

Enjoy all five of this week’s devotions:
Monday, February 6, 2017
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017

 

This is Pastor Daniel Flucke from St. Peter Lutheran Church in Greene, with today’s KCMR Inspiration 97.9 daily devotion.

Did you make a New Year’s resolution this year? I don’t usually make one, but this year, I decided I really need to lose some weight, and January seemed like as good of a time as any to get started.

So since the beginning of the year, I’ve been trying to eat healthier and to exercise more. The exercise part has gone pretty well, but I have trouble with the eating. Sometimes I congratulate myself for making a good, healthy choice.

Last week, I went out for lunch, and I ordered water instead of soda. That night, I was thinking back over the day, and I told myself what a good job I’d done, making that good decision to get water. Then I rewarded myself with a bowl of ice cream.

That’s not how you get healthier! You can’t just do something once or twice and have it be enough.

This week, I’ve been thinking about how that’s kind of like our faith life as Christians. In Micah chapter 6, the prophet has been laying out a court case against the people of Israel. They’ve been unfaithful, oppressing the poor, and taking bribes, and they’ve justified it by saying, “It’s ok because we are the chosen people. God will forgive us.” It’s cheap grace.

They want forgiveness without really repenting. They’re trying to bribe God to forgive them so they don’t have to change anything about how they’re living.

After Micah lays out God’s case against them, the people respond not by denying what they’ve done, but by asking, “Ok, you caught us, now what? What’s the fine? What do we need to do to get God off our backs? More donations? Volunteer more? Become a missionary?

Or, like it actually says in the text in Micah 6, Sacrifice thousands of rams? Whole rivers of oil? What do we need to do?”

And then Micah the prophet responds, speaking for God. Micah chapter 6, verse 8. “He has told you, O mortal, what is good. What does the Lord require of you? Seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” More sacrifices aren’t the point. God wants them to change their lives.

Seeking justice and loving kindness is a way of life, not tasks to mark off a list and then congratulate yourself. Dieting at only one meal per day won’t help you lose weight. Doing a good deed every so often isn’t really following Jesus. Instead, Jesus calls for life change.

It’s not that God won’t forgive you, it’s that God calls you to do something in response after you’re forgiven. When you understand how much God loves you, you can’t help but respond, and this is how God says to do it.

Seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. That’s a great resolution, not just for New Year’s, but for the rest of your life.

Now, knowing that God loves you, how can you use your whole life to spread God’s love? May you have a blessed day.

This has been Pastor Daniel Flucke from St. Peter Lutheran Church in Greene.

Enjoy all five of this week’s devotions:
Monday, February 6, 2017
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017