A Year Of Kindness (XII): Love Kindness

 "He has shown, O Man

what is good;

and what does the Lord your God require of you

but to do justice

and love kindness

and walk humbly with your God?"

(Micah 6:8)

I find it fascinating that in the verse from Micah, God lists only three things that He required to those to whom His message was addressed:  Do justice, Love kindness, Walk humbly with Him.

Humility we discussed last year and justice is far too lofty a subject for me to discuss.  But I do find it fascinating that the command "Love kindness" is present.  It not necessarily what I would have expected.

The backdrop to this is seen in the earlier verses in chapter 6, where the prophet is noting how Israel had abandoned the God that had brought them out of Egypt, and how one could expect that God could forgive him, what manner of offerings would be needed - up to and including children - to make it right with God?

God's response through Micah is simple, as we see above:  be just, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

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Do I love kindness?  Do I really love it as God says I should? Or is too often a burden, something that I have to do in order?

For me, it is often both.  Sometimes I have no problem offering kindness.  Sometimes kindness is offered through gritted teeth and a tongue that is working hard to control itself.  Why such a dichotomy?

Because I make kindness too often about how I feel, not what God commands.

God's kindness - His mercy - is abundant and overflowing all the time, not just the times that it is convenient for Him.  He may be sad with me, He may be disappointed in my actions, but never does His Kindness fail me or really any of us.  His Common Grace - the sun rising, the rains, the growth of things for food - extend to all, even those who hate Him.

If His kindness never fails, His expectation is that His children should be the same.

One wonders if  we simply took Him at His word and loved kindness as he loves kindness, how different our lives and our witness might be.