The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 23:5-7,
"Everything they [religious leaders] do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by others."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"Everything they [religious leaders] do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by others."
Jesus warned people about the religious leaders of the day, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. He pointed out their hypocrisy just prior to pronouncing seven devastating woes on them.
In pointing these things out, he identifies their insincerity and fake piety. Here he points out their arrogance and pomposity through pretensions. Do we have that today?
I think we have many wonderful and sincere folks in full time ministry today, as well as many who are engaged in other occupations. However, I think I won't get much push-back when I say I also think there are others who appear quite like the leaders in Jesus' day that he castigated.
It seems to be easy to ferret out if someone has the affliction Jesus describes above. Challenge them on something, even if you agree with them on it! It doesn't even have to be something you feel strongly about, just something they do. How they respond will tell you all you need to know - which leads me to me.
When someone might confront me on something I have said or a point I have made, how do I feel? Threatened? Defensive? A need to lash back? Or, on the other hand, do I have a desire to help the other one see what it is I am seeing for their ultimate good? Do I care about bringing them along out of concern for their own best interests?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment