Act. Love. Walk.

Recently my good friend Lewis 'Wis' Holland decided to start writing a blog called Whom Have I In Heaven But You. I can remember talking to him about blogging and remember him saying "The only thing is you have to be disciplined enough to maintain it". I figured that I need to have more discipline in my life so...here it goes.

I love this verse in Micah 6. It is simple to understand. No big complicated words, no difficult terms to try and explain and yet it is supremely hard for these words to be converted into actions in our daily lives. At best we may be able to fool our church family every Sunday that we are acting justly and loving mercy but I know (and my close friends will know too), that in my own life, apart from those 4 hours on a Sunday that my actions are constantly unjust and unmerciful. The simple and hard fact is this displeases God as He has acted completely justly and been abundantly merciful towards me personally.

I didn't really understand what acting justly was actually all about until a few weeks ago. I was thinking that it was just doing what was right in the shallowest way possible. When justice is mentioned in Micah, it means it in the way that justice is rooted deeply in God's character. God is Justice just as James is Human (no puns please!). This should, NO must (!!) become my nature too!

Mercy... A word that we hear and see every day but do we love it? The best personal illustration I can think of is from my childhood. My sister and I didn't get on for a good few years. We would argue and quarrel loads!! If my sister hit or punched me, my mum and dad would make her apologise. I would then, of course, have to accept that apology. But I didn't love to show her mercy. I did it begrudgingly. How I want to be able to find joy and delight in showing mercy!!!

 Now to the hardest of all... Walking Humbly. This is often the way this sort of conversation goes with my friends or church family.

         Friend: James, how is your walk with God?

         James: Oh yeah it's great! Amazing thanks! He is so good I'm feeling so blessed

And now for what I am really saying.

         Friend: James, how is your walk with God?

          James: What a cheek! Asking me how my walk with God is! Its better than yours! Get lost and bother someone else. 

Maybe, just maybe I can fool people with what I say, but God is all knowing. He knows every thought that goes through my head before I have even thought it! I cannot escape from Him. If my attitude and response to others remains this way, then it is clear my walk with God is not humble at all. How great it would be if I had a constant desire and passion to walk and talk continuously with the God of my salvation. 

Song To Go With This Blog 

 Tim Hughes - We Must Go