My favorite verse #2

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You can find an index of all the 31 Days of Encountering Judaism here.

 So what is it that makes me declare that Micah 6:8 as my favorite verse. Because it shares so succinctly all that we need to do in acting out our love for God:

  • to act justly - fairness is one of the things that I would call a core value (that it's due to being bullied as a child is beside the point).
  • to love tenderly - another translation has "to show mercy". Or as in the prayer Jesus gave us "as we forgive others". A love that transcends our humanity.
  • and to walk humbly with our God. Not to God, but with. Yeah, I want that.
These words of exhortation are elsewhere in the Bible, in different words, from Jesus' New Testament, to Deuteronomy to Isaiah. It's a refrain that God has said again and again to those who believe through various prophets throughout the ages.

And even though it's a favorite verse, it's a hard one to live into. I can judge unfairly with the best of them, refusing to see another's soul while I categorize them. I can lash out at one I'm supposed to love. And there are times that I even forget that God exists.

Yeah, I need this verse.

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