Reflections on Micah 6:8

As we come closer to Pentecost and the birth of the church, I was reading in my devotional the words of Micah. "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." The reflection discussed that justice and mercy cannot be separated, at least as God defines them. Justice without mercy is harshly legalistic, even cruel. Mercy without justice sacrifices fairness on the altar of sentimentality. Is God just or is God kind? He is both. What seems to be three things are in reality one thing. So the author of the reflection poses these questions for us:
If I seek justice for myself, can I understand when others extend mercy to those who have hurt me? Can I myself show mercy?
If I am merciful to others, can I understand why those who have been hurt think I have no concern for fairness?
Since God alone knows in what proportions justice and mercy must be mixed in any given circumstance, can I learn that walking humbly with God not only means that I seek to emulate God?
It also means I cannot fully do so, since God alone is the righteous Judge.
How do I, with my noble aspirations, strive to emulate God and yet confront my limitations of understanding and action?
How does all of this relate to Christian teaching about forgiving others in love, as a loving God has forgiven me? (This Day: A Wesleyan Way of Prayer, Laurence Stookey, 2004, 39-40.)

What struck me was the way of understanding how we are to convey God's mercy that has been extended to all of creation. In Bible study of Deuteronomy, we also discussed in chapter 29 that God's covenant is intended for all people. Too often we spend time trying to figure out who should be in the covenant and who is not. Maybe if we spent more time caring for others and allowing God to be the "righteous Judge" more people will hear the Word of God. This Sunday on Pentecost I will be using a book titled, " The Art of Woo." This talks about how to approach others. Though it was written for business, some of the principles are applicable to our creating an inviting environment and to convey the good news.
I would invite you to spend time reflecting on the words of Micah as we continue our faith path together.