David Grochowski & "Required" Things

We will promote another California person this week. Dave Grochowski is the President & CEO of Gratitude Enterprises, Inc in Newport Beach, CA. Dave, who quit his job in corporate America to become a real estate investor, will help teach the small business skills while we are there. (Erika is inviting the guys of a nearby "carwash" and some of the ladies whom they have trained before and have their own sewing business now and some spaza shop owners. ) Dave wrote, "I want to help serve those that are less fortunate than me."

There is a passage I have been mulling over lately. Many of you might know it well and most of what I write will be 'preaching to the choir' since you are coming on this trip. (You can click the links embedded for extra credit.)

The passage is Micah 6:8. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Let's look a little closer. I am actually going to take these three action points last to first, because the progression I think goes from humility to mercy to just acts.

To walk humbly with our God - In the New Testament, James, the brother of Jesus, writes that those of us who are rich should take pride in our low position because we will fade like a flower. I used the inclusive language of 'us' because we are so rich in comparison to most of the world. Humility says I have nothing except what has come from God above. If it all comes from Him and we can fade like a flower, what can we really take pride in? We should choose to humble ourselves before Him. It's not about us. God dwells with a man who is humble. God delights in a humble woman. Humility is the first step toward God. it says "I need Him and I can do nothing apart from Him".

For us, this July, I believe we should all choose to say, "Apart from the grace of God, I could be in the same situation as the people I serve." We need to choose to not be 'ugly-Americans' but humbly choose to serve, to humbly walk with our God.

To love mercy - Mercy looks on people with compassion the way Jesus did and moves with acts of compassion that Jesus did. It's a heart like Dave's that says, "I just want to serve those less fortunate than me". Mercy is always interpersonal. Mercy is forgiving 70 times 7. Mercy is like the Good Samaritan who when he saw the man in need put himself in harm's way to minister to him. It is the fruit of a wisdom that comes from heaven. Mercy does not show favoritism. As pride is the opposite of humility, judgment is the opposite of mercy. Mercy triumphs judgment. And when you show mercy to the least of these, you show it to Jesus. (Matt 25:31-40)

A love of mercy should be the heart that drives us. We should remember that God is merciful to us. We all need mercy and received mercy, so we all should love mercy and give mercy. As we show love this July, it should be out of a merciful heart.

To act Justly - Isaiah 42 tells us that Messiah Jesus would come to bring justice to the nations. Justice is crying out 'thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. Justice is seeing the oppression of people and taking what is wrong and trying to make it right. Most often Justice in scripture speaks to the most vulnerable... the widows, orphans and strangers... those who are rarely experience justice. James says that what God our Father accepts as pure and faultless religion is: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. The LORD himself goes one step further speaking about David: "He did what was right and just,so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" (Jer. 22:15-16) . Justice is at the very heart of someone who knows God and follows Him.

Justice sometimes is harder. Mercy can take a few minutes but Justice may take a long time. Perhaps we can do major 'righting of wrongs' in a week. But we can go with a heart that chooses to act justly. Maybe for us just looking after orphans and widows in their distress is the acts of justice we can do.