The Small, Tall Order

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 6:6-8
It was one of the best gifts I ever received: My wife had cross-stitched a small square plaque in my favorite colors with the last verse above on it.  It is that simple message we need to hear over and over again year after year: Keep it Simple.  What does God want from me this year? Justice, Kindness and Humility.  All of us tend to have one we emphasize in our lives: fighting for the oppressed, doing something nice for others who do not deserve it, serving with no desire for any approval other than God's.  But having all three in the same package?   It is a small, but extremely tall order.  Are you up to it? Only by the grace of God.  It's time to put the plaque back up, and be reminded: "Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God."