TMM Family Services

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. Micah 6: 8

I feel really good when I reflect on all that God has done for me.  I’m amazed that God’s grace includes even me!  Yet, I’m often tempted to just sit back and bask in my good feelings, telling myself and others that yes, I have faith.  But Micah’s words, to do, to love and to walk … all of these express action!  They bring to mind a physical response to God in addition to the emotional response we often call faith.  Micah suggests that to be truly faithful, we need to respond to God with action!  We need to get up, get out, and go into the world to make a difference!  We’re called to make a difference in the lives of the people around us.  At times when I get too focused inside myself, I remind myself to look beyond my needs.  I remember to smile at everyone, give an encouraging word or listen compassionately to another.  It’s not always the big things that make a difference to the people we meet.  Usually, it’s the small, special moment in the midst of common times that lets folks know that God loves them.  I remember that it’s not just the thought that counts; it’s doing something about the thought!  For me, faith is a verb.  Faith means going beyond believing.  Faith means active loving, active living!  How can we tell that a person is a follower of Jesus?  Is it because of what they say?  Or is it because of what they do?  Think about fishing.  Fishermen are defined not by feeling good about fishing, or by talking about fishing, or even by believing in fishing.  Fishermen are defined by their actions and by the fish they catch.  It’s the actions that we take that define us as Christian.  A faithful response to God is includes activity for God and for other people.  We’re blessed to be a blessing.  We’re called to doing – it’s the ministry of making a difference!

Jim Nibbelink

Conference Lay Leader

Desert Southwest Conference of The United Methodist Church