Good morning! Have you ever asked someone to give you their opinion and to be honest with you? Sometimes the truth hurts, but it gives us an opportunity to change or address somethings. Today, we continue with Matthew 23. Jesus continues to correct the Pharisees in these verses. He is laying out all the things that have separated their hearts from truly loving and experiencing what God desired of them. In these verses Jesus is also straight forward because the teachers of the religious laws and Pharisees were misleading the people.
23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!
25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.
Jesus is calling out the teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees. He is pointing out character flaw, after character flaw. He said they were full of greed and self-indulgent. He said they were focused on the small things, but missed the more important things.
Brothers and sisters, do you struggle with these things too? Well the Lord is giving us an opportunity to address these things. Lets ask the Lord to help us change in these areas, lets allow Him set us free from the bondage that holds us back from following Him with our whole heart, body (including our tongue), mind and spirit.
Lord God, thank you for allowing us to hear from you and serve you. Lord, thank you for correcting us when we fail to follow your lead. Lord, thank you for never giving up on us. Lord, forgive us of our sins. Lord, we surrender our lives and will to you. Thank you for mercy on our lives. Lord, be with the homeless people and provide them shelter and a warm place to rest. Lord, use us to minister and help those who are need. Lord, we lift up our nation to you, our leaders who are making decisions and those responsible for change. Lord, allow the truth to be exposed and let the healing process begin. Lord, help us to stand for justice, mercy, faith and all the other things that please you. Lord, work in our hearts so that we don’t neglect areas in the Bible that you desire for us to follow. Lord, clean us from the inside out. Change us – let change overflow. Use us to serve you, one another and to make a difference in this world. Lord, start with us. In Jesus name, amen.
SAVE THE DATE
March 2, 2019
9am – 1pm
Refresh, Renew and Restore
The event is held once a year and it is designed to refresh and restore volunteers and ministry workers who serve the community and/or work at dependent living facilities/organizations (e.g., shelters, recovery centers, etc). If you are a volunteer and/or a ministry worker or have volunteered at one of the Mary E. White Ministries events (workshops, retreats, etc) and are interested in participating in a day of being refreshed, renewed and restored email us at: contactus@maryewhiteministries.com, by Monday, February 25, 2019. Space is limited.
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