He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8, NIV.
Imagine getting your driver's license the day after your sixteenth birthday-and choosing not to drive.
Imagine learning your ABCs but never reading a single word in your life.
Imagine discovering a cure for the common cold but choosing not to take it when you're sniffing and sneezing like a banshee.
Why would anyone do something like that? We do it all the time, especially when it comes to choosing between right and wrong.
For example, we know that justice is right and injustice is wrong. Yet we don't always choose to act justly, do we? We may know it, but we don't always show it. We butt in ahead of people in cafeteria lines. We treat some people better than others. We "play favorites." We take advantage of people. We accuse people or dislike people without really knowing the whole story.
But if we know it's wrong to act unfairly, why do we do it anyway?
Well, part of the answer to that question is that we're all sinners. We tend to do the wrong thing more than we tend to do the right thing.
Another part of the answer to that question is that we act unjustly because sometimes it seems more beneficial to us than acting justly. (Who wants to wait longer than necessary in a cafeteria line, right?)
A third reason we act unjustly is that we don't make a conscious decision to do otherwise. Since acting unjustly seems to come more naturally (because of our sinful nature), we tend to do that unless we've made a commitment to follow God's way of justice instead of doing what comes naturally.
You can make such a commitment by determining in your heart that when you're faced with a choice between a right action and a wrong action, you will choose what's right-even when it's inconvenient. But that's not all; you then need to ask God for the strength to choose justice over injustice and trust the Holy Spirit to enable you to keep your commitment.
That won't guarantee that you'll always act justly, but it will help you the next time you're tempted.
REFLECT: Knowing what's right and doing what's right are two different things. Sometimes we do wrong when we're not sure what's right. Other times we know what's right, but we do what's wrong anyway. Which is a bigger problem for you: knowing what's right or doing what's right?
PRAYER: "Our Loving Father in Heaven, I commit to your way. I commit to acting fairly when I'm faced with the chance to do something unfair. Help me especially to_______. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."
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