The Way to Live Well - Walking Humbly, Living Justly, Loving Kindly
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?
Devotion
- God sets the standard of what is right and good.
From the very beginning, God has made His will clear. We cannot excuse ourselves by claiming ignorance. Like Adam, who sinned by trying to decide right and wrong on his own instead of trusting God’s word, we also fall when we elevate our judgment above His. Righteousness begins with listening to God rather than redefining good on our own terms. - Knowing is not enough—we are called to
obedience.
It is easy to admire God’s commands yet fail to live them out. We may find clever excuses, but partial obedience is still disobedience. God does not desire empty rituals or mere words; He requires transformed lives that reflect His heart. - The three requirements are simple but profound.
- Do justice: Live with fairness, honesty,
and integrity. Defend the weak, uphold truth, and resist exploitation.
Justice is not optional—it reflects God’s own character.
- Love kindness: More than occasional good
deeds, kindness is a heart posture. It means showing mercy, compassion,
and love not out of duty but delight—because we ourselves have received
mercy from God.
- Walk humbly with God: Humility is not
static but a journey of growth. To walk humbly means remaining teachable,
always learning, listening, and discovering more of God’s wisdom. It is
choosing dependence on Him rather than leaning on our limited
understanding. True humility is living each day in step with God, open to
His correction and guidance.
- But what about our weakness?
Like Paul in Romans 7, we often find ourselves failing to do the good we know. On our own, we cannot meet God’s perfect standard. But the good news is that Christ has fulfilled the law perfectly for us. Through His Spirit, we are strengthened day by day—not to live flawlessly in our own power, but to grow steadily in obedience, love, and humility as we walk with Him.
Application Questions
- In what areas of life am I tempted to define “good”
by my own standards instead of God’s?
- Am I actively practicing justice and fairness in my
relationships, workplace, and decisions?
- Do I delight in showing kindness, or do I only do
it when it’s convenient?
- How am I walking humbly with God—not just following
Him, but continually learning, listening, and growing in His wisdom?
- What new thing has God been teaching me recently,
and how can I put it into practice this week?
A Short Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for
showing me what is good. Forgive me when I choose my way instead of Yours.
Teach me to act with justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with You—not
in pride or self-reliance, but in a heart that is always learning and growing.
When I am weak, strengthen me by Your Spirit. Let my life reflect Your heart
and bring glory to Your name. Amen.
我有三宝，持而保之，一曰慈、二曰俭、三曰不敢为天下先。
I have three treasures that I hold and keep them.
First is love.
Second is thrift (frugality).
Third is to dare not be first in the world.
Micah 6:8 (God’s Three
Requirements)
- Do justice (fairness, integrity, righteousness).
- Love kindness (mercy, compassion, love).
- Walk humbly with God (teachability, dependence, not
exalting oneself).
Dao De Jing 67 (Laozi’s Three
Treasures)
- Love (慈
– compassion, benevolence).
- Thrift/Frugality (俭 – simplicity,
restraint, contentment).
- Dare not be first in the world (不敢为天下先 – humility, not
striving to dominate).
We can see a strong resonance:
- Love / Kindness: Both stress compassion as
foundational. Without love, justice becomes harsh and humility becomes
weakness.
- Frugality / Justice: While not identical,
frugality overlaps with justice in the sense of fairness, restraint, and
not exploiting others for selfish gain. Justice requires
self-restraint—living simply enough that others may simply live.
- Humility / Not being first: Both affirm
humility as essential. Walking humbly with God echoes Laozi’s teaching of
not striving to be “first” but taking the lower place, which paradoxically
leads to true greatness.
This opens a beautiful bridge:
while Micah grounds justice, kindness, and humility in a covenantal walk with
the Lord, Laozi observes that the same treasures sustain harmony in the world.
One points upward to God as the source, the other points inward and outward
toward natural balance—but both reject pride, greed, and domination.
