Where is Your Heart?

Posted by Brad Wingler on

In Mark 7:6-9 Jesus says to the Pharisees and scribes:

     "...Well did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

'This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men'

You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.
     And  he said to them, 'You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!'"

Today it is easy for believers to look back and agree with Jesus.  Especially guys, I mean come on who really needs to wash their hands before a meal???  Of course Jesus is speaking to something greater than their insistence of clean hands (see previous verses Mark 7:1-5).  

Honestly think of your actions and attitudes today.  Seriously do it.  Think of all the times you honored God with all you did.  Now think of all the times you didn't honor God today, and stole the glory for yourself.  Stealing the glory for yourself is doing things your way and for your purposes.  The redeemed people of Christ are called to do all things for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17, 1 Peter 4:11), and live lives opposite of falling short of His glory (Romans 3:23) through our grace given new life.  

If this still isn't resounding in your heart think of a time where you were upset with the seating at church, the parking, the pastor, the music, the temperature, or any other of a number of things we can get upset about.  Most of these issues are issues of self-entitlement that are "doctrines of man" we have come to expect to deserve.  

Are we more concerned with the commandments of God that promote unity and humility, or are we concerned with our man made doctrines of comfort?  Ask a person who has been on a mission trip lately about self-entitled, comfort centered doctrines of man.  Or better yet, ask Jesus...he didn't even have a place to lay his head (Luke 9:58)....

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