Our attitude in how we approach Sovereign God is a test of character. This daily devotional looks at how disciples of Christ should walk with God.
Nuggets
- When we approach God’s throne room, we should do so with the right attitude.
- It is only through God’s goodness that we will become like Him.
- We must know and love God to have true character.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in The Test of Character series
How we respond to God is a test of our character. We are to respond to Him in humility.
Let’s see what we can find out about that.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here are the nuggets for this series.
- Loving Jesus means we prove that by loving truth.
- A changed heart proves that our salvation is genuine.
- Our inward change of heart comes through regeneration and sanctification.
- Our outward change of heart comes through our following God’s laws and commandments in our daily lives.
- We need to discern right from wrong and be remorseful when we sin.
- The change in motives and habits prove that salvation has gotten to the heart level.
Let's Put It into Context #2
Humility is a character trait that diminishes pride and places dependence on God while holding a modest view of our importance with respect to others.
Glossary
In respect to humility, the gospel tries and ascertains the state of the heart.
“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?” (Mic. 6: 8 ESV)
When we approach God’s throne room, we should do so with the right attitude.
I see this verse as totally addressing the test of character. Micah started it out by saying what we were talking about in the first devotion of this series.
Christianity is the test of character. Micah told us the standard we are to use — that what God told us is good, as opposed to the evil of the world.
Good, in the biblical sense, is the workings of God within His people through His holy, pure, and righteous behavior. Evil is equated with sin because it is that which goes against God and His purposes.
- Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and morally pure while possessing all virtues.
- Pure means not being sinful or having the stain of sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
Farindon explained that the good being discussed here is that we should become like Him. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (II Pet. 1: 3-4 ESV).
Resource
It is only through God’s goodness that we will become like Him. That removes us from the damaged character of this world and gives us a character worth having.
Micah noted that there were three ways in which we prove that we love goodness: “… what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6: 8 ESV). We are only going to look at the last one in this devotion.
What Micah was saying was that, when we approach God’s throne room, we should do so with the right attitude. We don’t come in puffed up by pride in ourselves.
We acknowledge God as Sovereign God. Salvation and our change of character isn’t based on just our outward actions, especially to others.
Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart. Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
- Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
Glossary
We have to focus on God and our worship of Him.
Calvin reminded us that Micah was not just talking pride here. He was talking our confidence in our fleshly abilities. We would have none of the knowledge or skills that we have if God did not give them to us.
Resource
But what does “… walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6: 8 ESV) really mean? Walking with God seems like an unlikely event, doesn’t it? It seems to promote a unity that those not in the know would question.
We do have unity with God. Sovereign God wants a relationship with sinful man. We have the privilege of walking with him.
Walking with God means we are humble, reverent, teachable servants of God. Only walking with God promotes true humility.
We submit our lives and hearts totally to Him. We depend totally on Him. We agree with Him.
Chapin said that walking humbly with God means we are religious. These days, worldview people have tried to make that a bad thing.
It isn’t.
Chapin said a lot of good things. He wrote,
“We cannot do a right thing save as we are inspired to do it. This is the very essence of all true religion — to walk humbly with, or before God. The religion of the Bible makes us walk with God. It gives us a sense of a personal relation to Him. The Bible makes God a kindred personality. We become like Him, and we obtain therefore in ourselves the real springs and powers of all good feeling and all good action. Then learn that there is something required which is more than mere exercise of the intellect — it is the surrender and sanctification of the will and the affections. A surrendering, transfiguration, regeneration of the heart that brings men into a position in which they can walk humbly with God, do justly, and love mercy. God is the inspiration of all human excellence the quickener of all human thought; and when we can walk with Him, we do not need anything else; we can walk with Him everywhere.”
Resource
It is God Who inspires us to have good character. This manifests itself by the surrendering of our hearts.
Making the Connections
I like what Balgarnie said. He wrote, “This humble walk with God is one of light, and joy, and triumph. The entrance is pleasant, so is the road; the company; and the end.”
Resource
We can’t be deceived by Satan, who wants us to think that walking with God is a horrible experience. It isn’t.
How Do We Apply This?
- ABCD
- Choose to submit to God daily.
- Humble ourselves before God.
- Recognize the sinfulness in our lives.
- Worship and glorify God.
- Feel God’s actual presence in our lives.
- Pray to Him unceasingly.
- Depend on Him in all things.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Resource
Yes, there are good people in this world. They at even rely on ceremony and religion to mask that they have not totally submitted to God.
They are not disciples, so that means they are godless. They do not have God’s character.
We must know and love God to have true character.
Father God. We humbly approach Your throne room. We acknowledge that You are Sovereign God. We are awed that You want to have a relationship with sinful man — with us. Help us to grow to have Your character. Amen.
What do you think?
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