Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
(The UpsideDown Message of Jesus SERIES)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy…” (Matthew 5:7)

“God has shown what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To DO JUSTICE and to LOVE MERCY and to WALK HUMBLY with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

DO JUSTICE
In the Bible, the word ‘JUSTICE’ means ‘to make right.’

Our sense of justice is highly subjective. If something unfair goes in my favor, you will rarely hear me protest. It’s only when unfairness goes against us that we tend to be indignant and demand justice.

LOVE MERCY
Since JUSTICE is highly subjective, it needs to work hand-in-hand with ‘loving MERCY’. When MERCY gets involved, JUSTICE becomes focused on things that are happening outside of me and my context. It’s not just about me and my concerns. It’s for the sake of others.

Out of a heart that LOVES MERCY, God wants us to DO JUSTICE by getting energized when OTHER people fall victim to injustice, and by taking ACTION where we can.

QUESTION BETWEEEN YOU & GOD: *Where is God trying to get your attention to DO JUSTICE & LOVE MERCY?

WALK HUMBLY
Is it about being RIGHT? Or being LOVING?
*When we are convinced that we are RIGHT, it is hard to be humble!
*There is a very important theological distinction between being prophet and being a jerk: what burns most deeply in the heart of a true prophet is not anger. It’s love.
*C. S. Lewis wrote, “Anger is the fluid that love bleeds when it gets cut.”
*God’s anger is fierce when He sees injustice and greed and oppression, because God’s love is fiercer still.

Is it about AGREEMENT? Or is it about being CONNECTED/LOVING?
*God’s posture towards us is unconditional love & connection.
*Is our priority in our relationships CONNECTION/LOVE or AGREEMENT?

QUESTIONS BETWEEN YOU & GOD: *Is there a disconnect with someone in your church family? Or your own family? Is your goal connection/love or agreement?
*If you are to walk humbly with God, what does humility look like? What does pursuing CONNECTION instead of AGREEMENT look like? What do you need to do to move towards CONNECTION?