I was so physically tired (not really sure why) after a day of teaching middle schoolers (that may have something to do with it) today. After school let out, I sought to visit with a lady who I have knowing for many years who has cancer, and not many days left. I talked with her son for a bit since she was resting and then headed home to grab a textbook.
Halfway home, I decided to pull into a parking lot and pray and read my bible. As I'm thinking about it now, I see how spoiled we are to have cars with air conditioning. I read Mark chapter 7, and am finding out more and more how rich of a gospel Mark is.
Anyway, what really stuck out to me today was Mark 7:6 which reads: "And He [Jesus] said to them, 'Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.'"
I sat their for a while thinking about a few different people I thought this verse could apply to in my life, and then I shuttered at myself, rebuked myself, and thought, "Dude, God pulled you over to read His word for you, not for someone else." [How often do we read scripture for OTHER PEOPLE?!]
Anyway, what a scary thought to think that Jesus was talking to men - who evidently had a problem with Jesus' disciples not following man-made religious traditions - and told these guys in essence, "You guys profess to the world that you love God, know God, and can teach them about God, but your heart is nowhere near His heart." Yikes. That's nothing to passover and think, "This could never apply to me," because Jesus was talking to me who would probably say the same thing, "This could never apply to me."
I love Jesus. And as I sat there reading the rest of the chapter, and then stayed for a while longer reflecting in meditation, I just kept thinking that I never want to be those guys. I never want to be so stuck to religious ritual and hypocrisy, and have God say to me on the last day, "Depart from me...you're heart was far from me all along."
Ironically - and I suppose it speaks to the infinite grace and mercy of God - I feel like I've done so many dumb sinful things in my life, that I wouldn't even want to try and be like one of those guys. I'd never want to look at someone who isn't following a religious ritual (not that ritual itself is bad, but empty ritual is just that, empty), and then point the finger point the finger point the finger, and then have Jesus say my heart isn't even close to His.
This blog is for me. I want to be accused of loving Jesus with a passion. I want to be accused of following God's word through the power He gives me through His Holy Spirit, and I definitely want to be accused of obeying it. You see, my fear is that too many people can take an instance of Jesus rebuking the Pharisees, and think that is in some weird way a license to sin. Like "we all mess up" is the universal license to disobey God. It's not. "We all fall short," should be the beginning to a prayer that goes something like this:
"God, we all fall short, and so I'm begging for Your mercy today. I ask You to forgive the known sin in my life. Things that are black and white in Your word as far as sin goes, are things I can not chalk up to ignorance. And even when I feel to weak to obey the righteousness You desire, or feel so strong that I want to debate with You and others to make minimal my stab at obedience, I pray that you would give me the balance to get right and please You. I want to please You. I am in love with You, and I want to be used for Your glory. I want more and more people to come to know You. Time is short. I have no time to dilly dally in vomit that I walked away from. Help me to love others as You do. Help me. Jesus in every way, help me."
God is so good. Even now, I can feel Him. He is all around us. He is God.
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