Day 18 — Do Justice, Love Mercy

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

— Micah 6:8 (BSB)

Every school has one. The kid nobody wants to sit with. The one who gets laughed at. Maybe he’s awkward, or different, or new. Maybe he has a disability, or talks funny, or wears the wrong clothes. And sometimes, the other guys pick on him.

What do you do when you see that happening?

It’s easy to go along with it. To laugh with everybody else, so you don’t become the next target. Or just to look away and pretend you didn’t see.

But God has shown us a different way. The prophet Micah summed it up in one verse: “What does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Act justly means doing what’s right and fair, especially for people who are being treated unfairly. Justice means standing up for what’s right.

Love mercy means showing kindness to people who need it, even when they can’t do anything for you. Mercy is compassion in action.

Walk humbly with your God means not thinking you’re better than anyone else, and staying close to God as you go.

For guys, this can look like:

• Refusing to join in when others make fun of someone.
• Saying something: “Hey, leave him alone.” It takes guts!
• Sitting with the kid who’s alone.
• Picking the kid who’s always picked last.
• Telling a trusted adult when someone is being bullied. That’s not snitching. It’s protecting someone.

Standing up for someone takes real strength. It’s much easier to go with the crowd. But the strongest guys use their strength to protect people who are weaker, not to push them down.

Jesus always did this. He stood with the outcasts, the sick, the poor and people everyone else ignored. When you stand up for the kid nobody likes, you’re standing where Jesus stood.

A true story: C.T. Studd was one of the most famous young men in England, a brilliant cricketer who played for his country, and he was heir to a family fortune. But he gave his heart to Jesus, and he couldn’t be happy just playing games and spending money while millions had never heard of his Savior. With a band of friends who all gave up bright futures together, called the Cambridge Seven, he went to China as a missionary. When his fortune became his, he gave nearly all of it away to feed the poor and spread the gospel. He said that if Jesus really is God and died for him, no sacrifice could be too great. You can read his whole story in Brave for God.

Think about it: Have you ever seen a kid being picked on? What did you do? What could you do next time?

Try this: Look for the kid who’s left out today. Sit with him, pick him for your team or just say hi and learn his name.

Dear God, help me act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with You. Give me courage to stand up for kids who are picked on, and to be kind to kids nobody else is kind to. Help me use my strength to protect, not to push down. In Jesus’ name, Amen.