Care For and Inspire Others

He has shown you, O mortal, 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

In his Old Testament book, Micah says that if you are good, you will “love mercy” (Micha 6:8). In other words, you will love when you have the opportunity to show mercy to others or help others find mercy when they need it. Loving mercy is a way we can care for the people around us, and therefore is a way for us to bear the fruit of goodness.

Do you know why loving mercy and giving mercy is so important? Because the opposite of mercy is bitterness. There would be a lot less bitterness, strife, and conflict in our world, our nation, our homes, and our neighborhoods if we would care for others by falling in love with mercy.

The second requirement of goodness Micah talks about is to “walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Walking with the Lord is the real source of goodness. The more time you spend with God, growing and investing in your relationship with Him, the more goodness He will develop within you. And the more goodness that builds in your heart, the more goodness will manifest itself outwardly as you interact with the people around you.

The good news is that the fruit of the Spirit ripens, but it never rots. No matter how good you are, as you grow in the Lord and walk humbly with Him, you will find that your goodness will get even better. And in doing so, you will inspire others to want that same goodness for themselves.

Dear Lord, thank you for Micah’s reminder to love mercy and to walk humbly with you. I pray that you would keep this verse at the forefront of my mind as I continue to follow you. Help me to be merciful as I care for those around me, and to live my life in a way that inspires other to follow you. Amen.