Do You Want To or Do You Have To?

Micah 6:8 NKJV

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?

Ecclesiastes 12:13 NKJV

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

The Christian life is about choices. It's also about relationships as shown in God's law of love in which He commands us to love Him with all that we have and are, our neighbors and ourselves. God created us to love us and be in relationship with us, and He wants us to love Him back not because we have to but because we want to. That's the difference between these two scriptures.

Micah 6:8 is about choices and relationship. It's about us choosing to live the way God wants so we can walk with Him while we live. It's about understanding what's important to Him and making it important to us. It's about holding ourselves to His standards and literally doing for others what He can and does do for us in times of need. It's about having a kind compassionate heart that is quick to forgive and show mercy, not being quick to judge if someone makes a mistake. It's about us having an attitude that we don't know all things and that He is there to teach us and show us what is good in His sight.

Ecclesiates is a groaning lament. It's dry and is filled with a feeling of drudgery and duty and not joy and purpose like in Micah. Nothing Solomon has accomplished in his life gives him lasting pleasure, nor does it appear that his relationship with God, such as it is, does either. There are no acts of love or kindness mentioned, nor is there the joy of fellowship, of humble walking with God.

Perhaps you never thought about these scriptures like this. As Christian Counselors, George and I look upon the thoughts, feelings and attitudes that people past and present have. God gives us a reason to remain believers, and that reason is a love-filled, joy-filled relationship with Him that exists now and will exist forever.

Warmly, with all love and blessings,

Pastor Sharon Billington

http://www.encouragingwordsministries.com

Transforming lives through developing balanced, emotionally healthy relationships with God, others and self