Do Justly, Love Mercy
Month 11: Living It Out · Memory Verse
Today's Scripture
Read together: Micah 6:6-8
6 With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? 7 Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
Memory Verse
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”— Micah 6:8 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Jeremiah 29-31
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 316 of 365 — God promises a future and a hope, and a brand-new covenant written on the heart.)The Heart of It
Right before our memory verse, the people ask a sincere-sounding question. What can we bring God to make Him happy? Thousands of rams? Rivers of oil? Maybe even our most precious thing ()? They were trying to buy God's approval with bigger and bigger gifts. And God's answer is stunning in how simple it is. He has already shown you what is good. He doesn't want your stuff. He wants you, the real you, lived out three ways. Do justly. That means treat people fairly and stand up for what's right. Love mercy. That means be kind, forgiving, and gentle, especially to people who are hurting. Walk humbly with your God. That means stay close to Him, listen to Him, and don't think too highly of yourself.
Notice the order, because it matches the gospel. We don't do justly and love mercy in order to earn God's love. We can't earn it, and the people in Micah found that out. We do these things because we are walking with God, who first loved us and changed us from the inside. Mercy is something God pours into us before it ever flows out of us. So this whole verse is really a tiny picture of the Christian life. It is a heart made new by grace, walking humbly with the Lord, and spilling justice and mercy onto everyone around. Three short phrases. They are easy to memorize, and big enough to fill a whole life.
Around the Table
God doesn't want fancy gifts to make Him happy — He wants us to be fair, be kind, and stay close to Him.
Let's do it: Say the verse with motions: hands flat for "justly," hands on heart for "mercy," walking fingers for "walk humbly."
The people thought they had to buy God's love with big gifts. But God just wants a fair, kind, humble heart that walks with Him.
Let's talk: Which is hardest for you right now — being fair, being kind, or staying close to God?
Micah confronts religion that tries to bargain with God instead of being transformed by Him. Justice and mercy flow out of a humble walk with God, not the other way around.
Let's go deeper: Why do "do justly" and "love mercy" only work when "walk humbly with your God" comes first?
💬 Conversation Starter
If a new kid joined your class who had no friends and didn't speak your language well, what would "do justly" and "love mercy" look like that day?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Sometimes people say, "Religion is just rich people buying their way into heaven." Show them . God flatly refuses to be bought. Instead He asks for justice, mercy, and humility that money can't purchase. Share it kindly (). It surprises people who think faith is about performance.
For Dad · Go Deeper
is often quoted as a slogan, but its setting is a courtroom. God is bringing a case against people who kept the rituals while crushing the poor. The verse isn't a checklist of nice values. It's a diagnosis of religion that has hollowed out into performance. Dad, it's possible to be doctrinally precise and faithful at church, and still be hard, proud, and unjust at home. Your kids will feel that gap long before they can name it. The "walk humbly" clause is load-bearing. Justice and mercy that don't grow from a humble, daily walk with God curdle into either self-righteousness or burnout. Examine yourself first. Are you fair with your children? Quick to mercy when they fail? Humble enough to apologize? Your home is the first place this verse either becomes flesh or stays a fridge magnet.
Draws on: Tim Chester (echoed through Wesleyan-Arminian emphasis on grace-empowered holiness).
Let's Pray Together
"Father, we can't buy Your love — You already gave us everything in Jesus. Thank You. Make our hearts humble. Help us be fair and kind to everyone we meet. In Jesus' name, amen."
God already showed me what's good: be fair, be kind, and walk close with Him.