"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."
I love this scripture, have from the moment I read it for the first time. But what does it mean? Does it mean that we walk through life so humbled that we allow ourselves to be treated like doormats, something that others simply wipe their feet on? No... such a misunderstanding and intentional twisting of the word in my opinion of how Christians are to behave. Are we to be humble, absolutely. Are we to love mercy and to act just... you betcha... but it doesn't tell us that we are to be doormats in this life. God never intended for us to be abused or taken advantage of by others.
I asked my girlfriend a month or so ago why is it so hard to be honest sometimes when the truth needs to be said?" She replied, "because we never want to hurt anyone's feelings". She was right, we don't. I think we are so sensitive sometimes to hurting someone's feelings that we allow ourselves to become victims. Micah 6:8 says for us to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with God. But in Proverbs 28:1 it talks about the righteous being bold as lions. Hard to find that line isn't it? To be bold yet humble. How do you think that's possible?
There is only one way to be both humble and bold. We are to be bold in HIS spirit and humble in our flesh. Daily we die to the flesh and walk in the holy spirit, or at least that should be our heart's desire. Our flesh-man can sometimes be pretty powerful. Our egos, our pride our determination to be heard and to matter in this world can sometimes override what our spirit-man knows is just and true. But again the word tells us to be bold in our faith and in our speaking of the gospel of Christ.
How do we display righteous boldness without coming across as arrogant and uncaring? How do we stand firm in what we believe without cutting down another in what could be perceived as a shortcoming or fault? It is not our place to judge or condemn... we are told to love, period, end of story. Again, that fine line of being the doormat to treating another as a doormat. I know that I have so much work that God still needs to do in my own heart that I don't have time to criticize or belittle another. I am so far from being perfect but I am precious to my Heavenly Father and for that I can never allow myself to be a doormat in this life. You and I are his beloved children who are to walk boldly in the spirit of the one who created us and yet walk humbly in knowing we are still a work in progress.
There is much work to be done in this life, reaching and feeding God's sheep. We can't continue to be timid in our service if we are expecting to hear Well Done at the end of our journey. God is counting on you to reach the one he's called you to reach. That may call you to be bold in your testimony and share with someone about your relationship with Christ. Sitting on the sidelines, filling the imprint of where you sit each week in your church service, checking off the checklist of "duties" of being a Christian isn't being bold...it's being a doormat because those things are just as effective as lying in front of a door allowing people to come along and wipe their feet because you cannot stand for what you believe boldly. Don't be a doormat but walk boldly in faith and humbly in spirit along with our Jesus spreading the word, breathing life into all that surrounds you.
Are you being a doormat? Are you treating someone as a doormat in this life? Are you just, showing mercy and not condemnation? Are you walking humbly yet boldly within the Holy Spirit? Be bold yet just and merciful as your Father in Heaven shows you.
Under His Wings,
Heather
