By Lisa Wilmore
James L. Lillian (2004) wrote a book titled, What does the Lord Require? In his book, he highlighted major moral and social issues through sermons that were designed to help Christian people find their way “to understanding the requirements of God in regard to social and moral issues of our day”.
Morally, our churches are suffering today due to the fact that people have forgotten what God requires of them and the importance of yielding to His standard of living. The truth of the matter is that people are allowed to participate in their same worldly behaviors, before they were saved, without any repercussions or consequences for their ungodly behavior. No, we are not God and, and we are not the judge, but we are our “brother’s keeper” and have a responsibility to help keep them on the correct path by sharing God’s truth and what He requires of them.
So, “What does God require of You? In Deuteronomy, Moses shared the truth with the children of Israel, who had forgotten what God had done for them. They were at a point in their lives where they refuse to believe and follow the statues that God had put in place for them. Moses cautioned them to not forget to fear God and obey Him. He made this statement in question form, “Now Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statues which I command of you today for your good?” (Deut. 10:12-13 NKJV). In essence, Moses reminded them to Fear, Obey, Walk, Love, and Serve the Lord. These are God’s requirements for us. Of course, if we love God, we will walk in His ways and obey what He says.
Therefore, when we are obedient, we demonstrate our sincere love for God and yield to morally living out our lives so that others may see our light and glorify the Father which is in heaven. It is not only important to know and understand “What God requires of you” but to understand “Why He requires it”, also?
God has chosen us to be a light for a dark world. Through Jesus Christ, He saved us. Jesus is the light that shines in us. If we are morally incorrect, our light becomes dim, and we look much like the world. So, in order for Christians to reveal who Jesus is, our standard of living must line up with what God requires. Afterall, someone is watching and “you may be the only Bible that they read.”
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