Perfect Balance......


"Mercy is the balance between truth toward man and humility with God"

There are 3 things which the Lord requires of you; to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). We are to love by living truthfully and mercifully toward others. Living truthfully (justly) is solely dependent upon the depth of our character. If we value self, our self-interests, our self-comforts, our self-image, then our level of truthfulness will be quite low. A self-centered person spends most of his life defending and rationalizing his actions. Individuals who have to control others find their security in their control. Resisting their control will reveal their true identity.

While the first two requirements, to do justly and to love mercy, involve our relationships with our fellow man, the 3rd requirement, walking humbly, is connected to our relationship with God. In order to walk in truth, we must begin to practice humility. First Peter 5:6 tell's us "Humble yourself....and He will lift you up" Humility is an act of the will as we agree with God, admit wrong, and think not of ourselves more highly than we ought. Webster's 1828 dictionary describes a true Christian as one who walks in humility. It is interesting to note that Micah emphasizes that we are to walk humbly with God, not necessarily with man. This is what I mean by agreeing with God. As we experience strained relationships with man, the path to restoration is first found in a humble agreement with God, we must first know the truth that He has revealed. For example: "Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them," or "Husbands, honor your wives as a weaker vessel" (a cherished vessel like fine porcelain - beautifully wrought, but easily broken). When a man's wife is not honoring him or fulfilling her role as a godly wife, the path to restoration is not in authority and control, but in humility and sacrifice. It is in walking in the truth that God reveals. For example, love and don't be bitter, regardless of the circumstances. This will evidence itself in a confident yet humble walk with God.

This, of course, is relevant to wives concerning love, respect and submission. Our response to God is yielding to the truth revealed by God and humbly walking in the light of it. this truth also applies to parents not provoking their children to wrath, and to loving our neighbor, etc.

Now for the best part: when we begin to value God and His revealed truth, we will desire to live in truth toward others by lavishly extending mercy. It is only after we become merciful that we can begin to restore others in the spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1). Mercy is the balance between truth toward man and humility before God. Mercy keeps truth from becoming judgmental and offensive and is evidence that you are walking humbly with God. So when life relationships seem to be out of balalnce, use the visual image of a scale in balance and you will grow in favor with God and man.

Mercy holds the scale in balance between the weight of truth and and counter weight of humility.




More to come.....from Dr. Musgrove's book "Finding Mercy in the Shadows". this book is fascinating with stories from 60 years of people who have changed the world and some who almost destroyed it as well......you will find courage in this book.