What does God want from me???

3 “O my people, what have I done to you?
    How have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
    and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses,
    Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

(Micah 6)

I'm not going to say a lot about this passage, because Chris, our elder chair, will be sharing with us about it today. (come and hear, listen to the stream, or download later at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuQaoP-itwjuiKZOMO4Ybqg/featured)  Suffice it to say that Israel was not living up to what God wanted.  They were treating God as meaningless, only offering him tokens of appreciation instead of their lives.  What He wanted from them, and from us is not complicated, but complete. He wants us to get the focus off of ourselves, instead looking out for the rights of others, the needs of others, and how we can glorify God the most.  This passage is near and dear to my heart because it had a major impact on my life. Early in our marriage (39 years ago yesterday - yes that's why no blog!), my wife cross-stitched a masterpiece with verse 8 on it (when she actually had time for that?) It is especially meaningful to me because when her parents first met me they thought I was a self-absorbed jerk. They were right - I was not a loud, obnoxious jerk, but my attitude of ingratitude, self-deserving mentality, and obliviousness to how my life impacted those around me turned them off. (I was so self-absorbed I did not even realize it.)  When they met me again several years later, after I had absorbed the truths of this passage (and others), they did not remember having met me before because God had so changed my life.  So I encourage and challenge you: seriously study this passage and ask God this question: "What do you want from me?" Listen to His answer. Allow Him to do the changes.  Make it not just a plaque on the wall, but a reality in your life: do justice; love kindness; walk humbly with your God.