MICAH 6:6-8

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2007

WHAT SHALL I GIVE FOR A GIFT?

6 With what shall I come before the LORD, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 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?

What shall I give for a gift is always a hard question to answer. We have become more concerned about what someone will think about the gift so our thinking sometimes moves beyond reality.

While attending the University of Omaha, I had a part time job working at the Jewish Community Center. My work area was the basket room. Every person who went to the gym, the swimming pool, or the massage room had to go through a turnstile and show me either their membership card or the pass that they had purchased for the day. If they needed to rent a towel, or buy ear or nose plugs, maybe a comb, or one or two other things, I took care of that. The costs ranged from 10 cents for the towel rental on up depending on the item. Not high finance by any means. There was also a card where each item was listed and you had to mark a one in the proper place each time an item was sold or rented.

If you are wondering what this has to do with giving a gift, here is your answer. I worked the evening shift. The man who worked the day shift was a son of a Rabbi. I was told that at one time he was a very brilliant man. Somehow, he decided that the gift he wanted to give to God was the gift of living a life in which he completely and totally kept the Ten Commandments. He tried and tried and tried until he completely broke down. This job was now everything to him. He earned a little money, and he could give something of himself to his Jewish Community.

This is what Micah is talking about. We can try and try and try and never succeed to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. In place of struggling to figure out what to give to God, just "LET GO AND LET GOD" send His Holy Spirit upon you. Then you will Do. When you Do, you will Know.

WE PRAY: We give Thee but Thine own, What e’er the gift may be, All that we have is Thine alone, A trust, O Lord, from Thee. AMEN

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

Remembering that Jesus has said, "Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me." Ask yourself daily:

Have I shown mercy when it was needed?

Have I treated others justly?

Have I walked humbly with God?

If you answered YES to any of these, simply thank God for His help and go and do it again tomorrow.

If you answered NO to any of these questions, simply thank God for His Presence in your life, and seek His forgiveness and His strength as you go back and try to do it again tomorrow.