What Does He Ask of Me . . . .

   “For I desire mercy,
not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God
rather than burnt offerings.”
Hosea 6:6

Sometimes we seem to expect that if we just "do" enough "good" stuff for God, that He won't notice what we are doing the rest of the time. That sounds kind of silly, I know, but we would often rather "give" something to God instead of just "being" the kind of people that He desires us to be. This verse has been meaningful to me over the years partly because of experiencing so many situations in which we all were striving to "look" like good Christians, but our hearts were wounded and confused. Over time, as I searched for meaning and understanding, I realized that it is easier to play the part, to give God our "burnt offerings," where other people can see what we are doing, than simply to acknowledge God in every aspect of life.

I think that is because when we can "do" something, "give" something, or "offer" something, it is frequently tangible . . . . we can see it (and so can everyone else!) and so it just seems more "real." It is so difficult to know if we are "getting it right," if we are "measuring up" if "all" we are doing is acknowledging God in our everyday lives. How can you measure that? We think it should be so much more difficult than that! But I am grateful that when I stumble and fall along the pathway of life, God is there to pick me up and guide me and all He asks of me is that I acknowledge Him in all my ways . . . . everything else will fall into place. What does He ask of us?

"To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

If you would like to join us this week for "In Other Words," please leave your link below so that the other participants can visit your blog and read your thoughts on this quote.

 

Comments

[Carol]

Thank-you for choosing this quote--it is good to meditate on it.

Micah 6:8 is a great verse too!

joy and peace,
Carol

[Karen Gillett]

I love your opening line, the part about we do all these "little" things in hopes that God won't notice the "other" things we are doing. Boy that is so true. Thanks for hosting today.

[Tami Boesiger]

It's so easy to fall into the trap of measuring our spirituality. Thanks for bringing light to it.

Also, I'm not sure how my first link got on here. It is not the right one and I didn't link it up. Weird. Anyway, could you delete it for me? Thanks.

[LivingforGod]

I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for hosting IOW this week. I've always loved Micah 6:8 :).

[Marsha Young]

How thankful I am that God is the zone doing the "measuring" - as I am sure I would fall far short if anyone else was "wielding the tape."

I agree that it is sometimes easier to "do something" good than to wait for the Lord to give us the strength to simply show mercy. We really are addicted to tangibles, when we need to be attached to God's measurables. Have a blessed day. - Marsha

[Loni]

Thanks so much for hosting Nina. This was a great Scripture verse to pause on and contemplate. Ohhh, how He wants us to know HIM! THANK YOU for sharing!