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Years ago, Henry Ford was asked to donate money to erect a medical facility. He gave $5000. The newspaper headline said “Ford gives $50,000.” He objected to the mistake and asked the paper to retract the story. The paper said that if they did, they’d say Ford reduced his donation by $45,000. He then agreed to give $50,000—a lot of money back then. We applaud huge donations that help the needy, but donations alone do not satisfy our Creator. The prophet Micah made that clear years ago. We read this in Micah chapter 6: “What can we bring to the LORD? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousands 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.” Certainly giving money to the needy is a worthwhile thing to do, but God also expects us to show fairness and mercy toward others, and to maintain a submissive attitude toward Him. Our verticle attitude of worship toward God must be matched with our horizontal attitude of love and respect toward others.
