STOP OVER-COMPLICATING THINGS
Mechelle Holbrook
Today’s Scripture: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8, ESV
Theme: The prophets continually pointed to right living and how to please God.
WHEN COMPANY COMES
Have you ever noticed how sometimes we make things way harder than they need to be? Or we just get confused and need a reset? I know I do. Like when you’re expecting company and you clean every room in the house—even though your guests only step into the kitchen. Or when you plan a meal and overthink every possible dish, only to end up cooking the thing you’re most familiar with anyway.
SIMPLIFY
We over-complicate things all the time. And if I’m honest, I do the same thing in my walk with Christ. I can get caught up in thinking about all the things I should be doing for God, how I should be growing, and how much more I should be serving. Those things aren’t wrong—but sometimes I just make it confusing.
Micah 6:8 brings me back to where God wants me to be. God’s people wandered off track, chasing other gods and thinking they could win His favor through endless sacrifices and rituals. But through the prophet Micah, God reminded them what He truly desired:
“He has shown you, O mortal, 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.”
That’s it. Not complicated. Not a long list of impossible requirements. Just a call to live with justice, mercy, and humility before Him. Those three things aren’t just pleasing to God—they’re also for our good. They simplify the noise of life. They keep us aligned when we’re tempted to chase other “gods” like the Israelites did—whether that’s success, busyness, or even our own expectations of ourselves. This is a verse I return to again and again. When I feel off track, I hold my life up to Micah 6:8 and ask: Am I being fair and just to others? Am I showing mercy and compassion? Am I walking humbly with God, remembering it’s about Him and not me? When I inevitably fall short, I’m reminded of the closing words of the passage—of God’s incredible mercy and forgiveness:
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives…? You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18–20, NIV). What a relief. What hope. What a God.
Make It Personal: What if you slowed down and chose to keep it simple today? Instead of overthinking or over-complicating what it means to please God, hold on to Micah 6:8. Ask Him to help you live it out in the small, everyday moments—at work, at home, with your family, and even in the errands and interruptions. Justice. Mercy. Humility: Three things that can transform your day and keep you close to Him.
Pray: To my God, the one and only true God! My hope and Redeemer. I make things so complicated in my life. I chase other gods, then I try to fix things my way, but praise be to Jesus for His steadfast love and compassion. Thank You for seeing me as a sheep without a shepherd. Thank You for making a way for me when there was no way. Help me to walk with You daily, showing justice, mercy, and humility. Amen.
Read: Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Proverbs 21:3, Isaiah 66:2
Weekly Memory Verse: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2, ESV