What is expected? ∙
What does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8
Deuteronomy 10:12 What does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.
How Do Players Become Part of an NFL Team?
The NFL is a highly competitive professional sports league, and joining an NFL franchise involves a structured, multi-step process that demands exceptional talent, dedication, and thorough evaluation. Each year, aspiring athletes attempt to earn a spot on an NFL roster, mainly through the annual NFL Draft.
However, the process actually begins with the NFL Scouting Combine, often called the “Path to the Draft.” This key event takes place annually in late February or early March in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Combine is a week-long event where roughly 300 top college football prospects are invited to showcase their athletic abilities and football-specific skills in front of scouts, coaches, and general managers from all 32 NFL teams.
What is expected of them? They must demonstrate their strength, speed, and overall athleticism. Depending on their position, they also need to show specific skills, such as passing, pass-catching, or running.
While most prospects perform as expected, a few surpass expectations and emerge as “winners,” significantly improving their draft prospects. The goal of the combine is to evaluate and rank players, identifying the most promising prospects for each position.
A Comprehensive Evaluation Process
The Combine, while an important event, is just one part of the comprehensive evaluation process. Besides the Combine, teams thoroughly analyze detailed game footage from a player’s college career, reviewing their performance in different situations and against various levels of competition.
Teams also conduct in-depth interviews to connect with the players and assess their character, work ethic, and football intelligence. These conversations often explore a player’s motivations and background more deeply. Additionally, thorough background checks are performed to review a prospect’s history both on and off the field, ensuring they match the team’s culture and values.
What Does the Father Expect of Us?
Many people wonder what the Father expects from us. It is natural to see life as a spiritual test where we must prove ourselves worthy of heaven. Instead of showing physical strength or speed, we might believe we need to achieve a high level of moral or spiritual excellence. Often, we think there is a way to measure up and qualify.
This way of thinking is not new. During the time of the prophet Micah in ancient Israel, religious Jews believed that sacrifices and offerings were essential to please God. They thought that the more they gave, the better their standing with Him would be. But this approach raises an uncomfortable question: How could they ever know if they had done enough? This is the core problem with merit-based efforts; there’s no clear way to determine when enough is enough.
The Father’s Clear Expectations
The Father directly addresses this issue by defining what He considers good and acceptable. His expectations differ significantly from human assumptions. What matters most to Him is not our actions or offerings, but who we are inside and how we demonstrate that in our everyday lives.
Hosea 6:6 says, “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”
Similarly, Micah 6:6-8 addresses the question of what God truly requires: “What can we bring to the LORD? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
REFLECT & PRAY
In simple terms, the Father calls us to live lives characterized by justice, mercy, and humility. We are called to act with fairness and righteousness, to love kindness and compassion, and to prioritize walking humbly with Him above everything else. These qualities reflect a heart that aligns with God’s character rather than just a list of external achievements.
Father, Your lovingkindness is better than life. Teach me to love mercy and live it out in my daily walk. May my life reflect Your justice, compassion, and humility. Please make it so.
INSIGHT
The Tension Between Action and Attitude
Despite the clear teachings of the Scriptures, human nature often defaults to action rather than attitude. Our fallen DNA seems hardwired to focus on doing instead of being. However, this perspective is fundamentally flawed. We have it backward.
1 Samuel 12:24 says: “Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.”
These verses highlight a profound truth: the Father’s expectations are not about external actions alone but about the condition of our hearts.
The Heart of God
The qualities described in Micah 6:8 reflect the very nature of God. He is just, righteous, good, and kind. His character is defined by unwavering loyalty, grace, mercy, and lovingkindness. These attributes are not just ideals; they are the essence of Who He is.
What does the Father ask of us? He calls us to imitate Him. Our attitudes, values, and sensitivities should mirror His. When our hearts align with His, our actions naturally follow, showing His character in our daily lives.
Living Sacrifices
When discussing sacrifices and offerings, the Scriptures move the focus from outward rituals to inward intentions. Romans 12:1 states, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Instead of offering animal sacrifices, we are called to be living sacrifices. This means dedicating our whole being, body, mind, and spirit to the Father. True worship is not about what we give, but about who we are.
Justice, Kindness, and Humility
The Father’s expectations are simple yet profound. He calls us to:
- Love Kindness
The Father does not merely ask us to be kind; He asks us to love kindness. The Hebrew word for “kindness,” hesed, carries a depth of meaning that no single English word can fully capture. Often translated as “lovingkindness, mercy, or loyalty,” hesed represents a “steadfast, faithful love,” a “love that will not let me go.”
Hesed is the core of the Father’s heart. He desires His children not only to cherish hesed but also to embody it in their interactions with others.
- Walk Humbly with God
Walking humbly with God means living dependently, with reverence and in submission to Him. It stresses the importance of prioritizing our relationship with the Father above all else.
The Impact of Lovingkindness
The way we demonstrate lovingkindness, or the lack of it, might be the only glimpse of the Father’s love that others see in their lives. When we fully live out the concept of hesed, we do so with steady, unwavering love filled with compassion and mercy. We reflect the Father’s heart in our interactions with those around us.
This strong connection not only influences how we interact but also has the power to touch others’ hearts, revealing the Father’s love through our daily actions and relationships. Through our kindness, we can generate a ripple effect, inspiring others to experience the transformative power of love that reflects God’s own.
A Song of Lovingkindness
“Thy Loving Kindness” by David Lewis beautifully captures the essence of hesed:
Thy loving kindness is better than life
Thy loving kindness is better than life
My lips shall praise Thee
Thus will I bless Thee
I will lift up my hands
I will lift up my hands
I will lift up my hands in Thy name
This song powerfully conveys the Father’s unwavering love and emphasizes our responsibility to embody that love in all our actions.
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© Dr. H 2025
Dr H Reflections 