Micah 6:7-8

"Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
Micah 6:7-8


We tend to get dramatic at times... we think that in order to get God's attention we need to fast for a month, or pay 50% tithing, or go to church for 9 hours... :) This scripture was back in the days of animal sacrifice, and so thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oil is about the same as going to the temple every hour it is open for a year or something. :) ... and it even asks, should I give my firstborn for my transgression... I think the body/soul thing here is interesting too... how do physical sacrifices relate to spiritual needs? ... but anyway, I think that it is interesting that the question is answered with some basic things... God doesn't need our drama. We can't make up for not living well every day by living *super*-well for a week. It doesn't work that way. God has showed us what is good. And he asks us to do some basic things. They might not always be easy, but if we practice them every day, we'll get good at them. Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. It seems to me that it is all about consistency. Reading a few verses in our scriptures every day is better than reading the entire canon in a weekend, and then not reading again for a month. Spirituality doesn't average out... we need God in our lives every day, and he wants us to walk with him every day. When we get off track, instead of overcompensating and swerving out of control some other way... we would do well to just get back on the path, and keep moving towards the goal.