What is your goal in life? What is it that motivates and drives you? A good friend states, “We do what we do because we want what we want.” Our actions and our reactions to the circumstances around us always come down to what we want. When we want the wrong thing, trouble ensues. When we are depending on the wrong thing to bring us peace, satisfaction, and joy, the result is chaos and frustration. This has rarely been more evident than the last few months.
Over the past few weeks, we have been analyzing our current cultural situation and seeking God’s answer for how Christians ought to respond. As always, the Gospel is the foundational answer to the problems of society. But the Christian response does not stop there. The Christian must also live out the Gospel. To help us understand what this looks like, we turned back to Old Testament Israel. Their society was broken. Through the prophet Micah, God instructed His people how they were to respond. The answer is no different for God’s people today.
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 6:8
Over the past two weeks, we looked at the first two responses: do justice and love kindness. However, it is impossible to respond in these ways if we are not responding with the final challenge: walk humbly with your God. We were created to glorify God (Rev. 4:11). When we are not fulfilling our created purpose, it is impossible to find peace, satisfaction, and joy. We are like a fish out of water. Yet, so often, believers live for this world and forget that we are citizens of a different kingdom. So, we must walk humbly with our God.
First, we are to walk. This entails an everyday lifestyle. American Christianity has taken a buffet mentality. Take what you want and leave what you want as long as you are happy. So, we rely on God when we need him. But until then, our families, political party, social media, jobs, money, and toys are the spice of life. But walking with God necessitates an all day, everyday action.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
~ Ephesians 5:15-17
We are to live each day with wisdom. We are to seek God’s will in all things. This, however, necessitates humility. We are to walk humbly. We must note that the word translated “humbly” here has a deeper meaning than what we normally associate with humility. It carries along with it the idea of loyalty. We are to submit ourselves to God as our King and Father. We are to remember that life is not about us, but about God.
As we respond to the world around us, we are to live in such a way that it is evident that we serve God. This means that we respond with appropriate humility to government mandates. When they infringe on obedience to the Word (telling us to disobey a clear command from God), then we render to God the things that are God’s. But when they ask us to do something stupid, but not sinful, we submit in humble obedience to the King of kings. As we view the justice conversations around us, we do not run to the simple answer. Nor do we seek the answer from modern anthropological theories. We seek the answer from God’s Word. We recognize that not every situation is the same. We acknowledge true injustice, and we stand for truth.
Finally, we remember that the strength and motivation for this comes from the knowledge that God is our God. We do not serve an impersonal God. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He takes sovereign interest in our lives and circumstances. He gives us freely of everything good we need (Rom. 8:32). We can act differently because we have a God who is close. We must remember that no political party can change the world. No president or supreme court justice can change culture. Only God can do that. So instead of responding with exacerbation, spite, or rebellion, walk humbly with your God!