Scripture: Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Observation: Jesus instructs us to be just, faithful and to show mercy. Carrying out the letter of the law is not enough if your heart isn’t in it.
Application: Following the letter of the law without practicing the spirit of the law is worthless. Jesus is telling the Pharisees that their obsession with the law has caused them to become more concerned with the practicalities of the law than loving and serving. And this is wrong.
I know I get caught up in this so often. I can be so concerned about following the rules… and irritated by others not following the rules, that it takes away from me being kind and loving. And, often, I let my irritation and self-righteousness take away from my enjoyment of things.
I would probably have been a Pharisee, myself. Worrying about all the rules and puzzled by this guy who didn’t fit into the box I was expecting. And like so many others I would have missed the Lord and not understood his message.
How can I keep from being a modern-day Pharisee?
Open my eyes to love and shut my mind to being judgmental. Be aware and stop it when it starts. Pray for God to keep me from being obsessed with the rules and instead be obsessed with showing his love.
Prayer: Please guide my heart to serve you in the way you ask me to serve.
Soften my heart when I get legalistic. And thank you for your unending forgiveness and love. Guide me in showing that to others. Remind me of what is important and mold my heart to serve rather than to judge. Don’t let me be a modern-day Pharisee. Let me be your disciple instead.
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