Do justly — the Required Routine

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? Micah 6:8

Do.
Accomplish, be busy.

Do.
It is an action.

Do.
It requires effort.

Do.
To bring an action to a conclusion.

Do justly.
Accomplish honesty.

Do justly.
The effort to live truthfully.

Requirement involves action. And not just random action, but action that is honest and truthful. And how do I know what is true?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

Do justly — the Required Routine. 

Thanks Living: For You

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. 1 Thessalonians 1:2

Give thanks: to be grateful, actively to express gratitude

Always: at all times, always, ever

Making: to do

Mention: be mindful of, remind oneself actively (purposefully); actively bring to mind

Prayers: earnest prayer

For you. 

People impact our lives on a daily bases. Some frustrate us. Some encourage us. And some bless us beyond measure. And EACH one can be used by God to teach us something about Him and living a life pleasing to Him. 

For you.

First, we see from Paul's example, that we are to Give Thanks for others. Say Thank you to God for introducing us to others. Introducing us to those that encourage us and those that teach us. 

Lastly, Paul gives us the example of how we express our thanks to God, through prayer. And not just a "thank you God." and then forget it. Rather this is an EARNEST prayer. 

Earnest: serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely

Praying with intention and purpose. Making a point to thank God for each person that God introduces us to. 

For you.

Thanks Living is praying intentionally for each person God brings into our lives. Give thanks to God for each one, and pray intentionally for each person. That is not only the right thing to do, it's a blessing to uphold others before our great God! 

For you. 

Give thanks and pray intentionally for others—that is the right thing to do when living a life of Thanks Living! 

Proverbs 4:5-7: All-out Effort

Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. and in all your getting, get understanding. Proverbs 4:5-7

Get: by implication to own -- attain 

Wisdom: ethical and religious

Understanding: the faculty (an ability, natural or acquired, for a particular kind of action)

Do not forget: cause to forget, to be oblivious of

Turn away: to bend away (including moral deflection)

Forsake: be remote, absent, depart

Perserve: keep, watch, guard, protect

Love: beloved like, friend, to have affection for

Keep: guard from dangers, preserve

Principal: absolute chief, the first, in place, time, order or rank

Understanding: discernment

As I read these verses, I couldn't help but picture a football game. The intense desire of the teams to "get the ball" to "get the touchdown". Offense and Defense want that ball — and all the effort is directed to getting it! Offense has the ball, and what they do with it, is key if they want to keep it and score. Defense is in an all-out effort to get that ball either by causing a fumble, interception, or taking over on downs. All-out effort is put forth in "getting". 

Do I put forth the same effort in getting Wisdom? Do I get an all-out effort to get the treasure of Wisdom? 

And once I get wisdom, what do I do with it? Do I use it, or do I hide in the locker room? Having wisdom is one thing, but using the understanding of wisdom is a different level of play. It's using wisdom to direct my life. Wisdom should be a good friend, whom I want to have beside me throughout life. No matter what comes, wisdom will be there to direct and guard me.

Wisdom should be the first and foremost thing which I desire and strive to get, and it should have first place in my life. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord and that begins with a heart permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31MSG). 

All-out effort. First and foremost. Get Wisdom. It will change your life!