What's really important to God?

The Bible is a big book.  Full of all sorts of material.  Some of it is easy to understand and apply in our world.  Some of it is downright boring and confusing.  It's easy for Christians (individual and in groups) to get sidetracked on issues that are mentioned here or there, but aren't central to what God really thinks is important.

Here are a few of the places, where the scriptures wave a red flag and say "THIS IS IMPORTANT!!"

Micah 6:8 - 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 pretty simple.  Wouldn't the world be a vastly different place if more people simply acted justly, loved mercy, and walked with humility with God?   How good to pray each day that my life will be marked by those three simple descriptions.

Matthew 22:34-40

³⁴ Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If in doubt about what the Bible means - go back to this teaching.  "Love God. Love others like you love yourself."  All those long pages of the Old Testament, with all that confusing and often boring stuff, hangs from those basic commands.  

Matthew 7:12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Once again - if you're confused about what God wants you to do...just treat the other person like you would want to be treated.   

I believe the more I spend time trying to live out these simple, basic, commands, the more the ways of God's Kingdom will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  When I forget these basic commands because I'm too busy trying to prove my interpretation of scripture is the right one (and yours is wrong) I may spread My Kingdom, but the ways of God's Kingdom will diminish.