Requirements, Responsibilities, Expectations or What?

Fifty2 Sunday's ~ Listening 4 God

           The sermon title was "What God Requires" and the biblical texts were Micah 6:1-8 & Matthew 5:1-12.  Both are frequently cited passages of scripture, as the minister noted, Jimmy Carter in his inauguration speech cited Micah 6:8 that asks "What does the Lord require of you?"  

         There are some people who feel that God (or Christianity) is all about do's and don’ts, rules and expectations - which are like requirements.  When something is 'required’, the implication is that there is no other option but to comply.  We all have requirements to fulfill at home, in school, with our work and as a member of society.  There are little escaping requirements in life - as Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain [required], except death and taxes".  

         God tells us in Micah 6:8 to "act justly”, “love mercy" and "walk humbly" and in Matthew 5:3-12,  Jesus described how to live a blessed life. Are these requirements, responsibilities, expectations or something else?  Certainly, they may be all of these - or perhaps they are an expression of God’s love, mercy and grace toward us. 

        God acts in advance -as exemplified by how He "made us alive" even "when we were dead in our transgressions" (Ephesians 2:5).  Likewise, our fulfilling a requirement, a responsibility or striving to please God-is an expression of our love and gratitude for that which we have already received as described in I John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us”.