"He hath shewed thee, 0 man, what is good; and what doth the Ldrd require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" - Micah 6:8 KJV
To be fair and just is simply to apply the Golden Rule-to give tribute to whom tribute is due and honor to whom honor is due. It means treating people fairly regardless of what position, possession or blood relation. We are not to be respecter of persons but to respect all persons. A just person is "anyone who refuses to slander others, does not listen to gossip, never harms his neighbor, speaks out against sin, criticizes those committing it, commends the faithful followers of the Lord, keeps a promise even if it ruins him" (Psalms 15:3, 4, TLB).
To love mercy, for "happy are the kind and merciful, for they shall be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7, TLB). In dealing with the erring members it is at times better to err on the side of mercy, to wait for full information, rather than to have him disciplined. To love mercy is to "be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32, KJV).
To walk humbly with thy God. "Humble men are very fortunate ... for the kingdom of Heaven is given to them" (Matthew 5:3, TLB). The measure of true greatness of a man is his humility. It takes humility for one to accept that he is wrong or has sinned and to apologize or ask for forgiveness. To say, "I am sorry," is part of the vocabulary of great men, of humble men, but not the proud. "Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself . . .Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ, who . . . humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal's death on a cross" (Philippians 2:3, 5, 8).
Our profession, position, possession and even spiritual gifts may differ but we are all members of one body. At the foot of the Cross, the ground is level. "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14, KJV).
Dr. Manuel Tornilla, Jr., writes from the Philippines when he is an elder in the local congregation and president of Miller Sanitarium and Hospital.
