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. 

Proverbs 11:1-3 Honesty. Integrity. Humility.

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight. When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. Proverbs 11:1-3

Dishonest: deceit, deceptive

Abomination: something disgusting, an abhorrence

Just: complete, full, perfect

Delight: goodwill, favor

Pride: insolence, presumptuousness of godlessness

Shame: ignominy, dishonor, disgrace

With: in one's possession or keeping, mental quality

Humble: modest

Wisdom: ethical and religious

Integrity: blameless, innocence

Upright: well-pleased, righteous, straight

Guide: by implication to transport, lead

Perversity: distortion, viciousness

Unfaithful: to act covertly; by implication, to pillage, deal deceitfully

Destroy: devastate, ruin

Honesty. Integrity. 

The concepts of honesty and integrity seem to be missing from our society as a whole these days. Lying is common place. Deceitfulness is considered the norm. Cheating is the standard practice. 

Yet, no matter how common place dishonesty is, is remains an abomination to the Lord! It's disgusting to Him. And if it's disgusting to Him, it should be to us as well.

It SHOULD be. Why isn't it? 

Because of Pride. We tend to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, and to make ourselves look better in the eyes of those around us, we "enhance" our speech with lies. And soon, it then becomes the norm for us. We liked that the lie, made us "better". 

Sadly, it is only an illusion. For a life based on dishonesty and pride is just, well full of hot air. It's not good for anything. It ruins trust. And it also eats away at oneself, because no matter how many lies are told—we know the truth, even if we think we've deceived others. 

Honesty. Integrity. Humility. 

Three important traits that begin when a heart is permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG) 

Keeping All Promises, No Matter the Cost

This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 15. Here is what I learned.

The one who despises those rejected by God but honors those who fear the Lord. The one who makes a promise and does not break it, even though he is hurt by it. Psalm 15:4 (GW)

The one who loathes the loathsome, honors those who fear the Eternal, And keeps all promises no matter the cost. Psalm 15:4 (VOICE)

Keeps all promises no matter the cost. Often we hear of litigation because someone didn’t fulfill a contract, and the reason was it would cost more to complete a project than originally thought. Costs increase and contractors, etc, want more money to complete a job. When we make promises, we must never do so lightly, for we are to keep the promises we make, no matter what it will cost us... the includes, time, talent, money, etc. Am I true to my word? Do I do as I promise? When I say I’ll do something, do I do it? 

There are phrases we say often without thinking. For example, “I’ll pray for you.” Often, the is a automatic response when we hear of someone in trouble or sick. But do we actually, PRAY? 

The next area we sometimes make promises is in the area of accountability. If we say we will hold someone accountable to either do something, or not do something, do we follow through? Or are we too shy and timid to check in to see if the person is doing ok? Perhaps we don’t want to “check in” because we are ashamed of our actions. But Psalm 15:4, says “keeps all promises, no matter the cost.” 

He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not - Who has made a promise, or entered into a contract, that is likely to turn out contrary to his expectations, to his own disadvantage; but who still adheres to his engagement. If the thing itself is wrong; if he has made a promise, or pledged himself to do a wicked thing, he cannot be under obligation to execute it; he should at once abandon it (compare the notes at Matthew 14:9); but he is not at liberty to violate an agreement simply because it will be a loss to him, or because he ascertains that it will not be, as he supposed, to his advantage. Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Can people believe what I say? Honesty. Integrity. True to my word. I’m very thankful that God is a promise keeper! He fulfills all His promises. That is an awesome comfort! 

To create a positive day, I need to be a person of honesty and integrity, keeping all promises, no matter the cost.