We’ve got your daily encouragement, written by Kelly Bryant.
Bible Reading:
Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
Word:
Since January, I’ve been spending several days each month working at our county’s COVID-19 drive through vaccination clinics. My main role when I’m there is to manage the volunteers who are checking paperwork for patients coming in for their vaccine appointments. We’ve got it down to a smooth flow, with each volunteer managing a lane of oncoming traffic.
At the last clinic I worked, there was one volunteer who kept frantically moving from lane to lane, even when another volunteer was standing by ready to help the patient. As the day went on, I began to understand why. She was working hard to impress me and the other staff members because she really wanted to get her shot that day. As I watched her running around, I kind of chuckled inside. All of our volunteers who meet the hour requirement are able to get the vaccine. She would get the vaccine at the same time whether she frantically jumped from car to car or simply walked over to check each car in her lane. In fact, I’d have preferred if she’d just walked and trusted the systems we’ve optimized through the experience of hosting multiple clinics.
In Micah 6:9, the prophet Micah tells the people of Israel that the only things God is expecting from them is that they do right, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. Micah shared with Israel that God values a relationship with Him over them making a show of bringing huge, extravagant sacrifices. He wanted the Israelites to walk with Him, not to run around gathering thousands of goats to sacrifice or offering up their firstborn child to pay for their sins.
Micah understood our human tendency to race ahead instead of trusting that walking humbly with God will take us where we need to be. Are there areas of your life in which you’re working really hard to impress others or prove your worth? Like the volunteer, are you burning yourself out trying to earn something that’s already been promised to you? One of the benefits of humility is the rest that comes from humbly walking with God- in trusting His timing and His plan instead of running around trying to earn what He wants to freely give you!
Prayer:
Father, help me to match the pace of my life to a pace of walking with You. I’ve been running around trying to earn favor with You and others, and all this running is exhausting. I want my actions to flow from my love for You, not to from striving to earn love and approval. In Jesus’ name, amen!
Skillwork:
Everytime you find yourself “running” this week- when your thoughts are racing, you’ve overbooked your calendar or you’re feeling the pressure to DO MORE – ask God to show you how to slow down and walk with Him.
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