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- Oct 26, 2007
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Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" Mark 7:5 NKJV
In His answer to the religious leaders, Jesus quotes the Old Testament: “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (Mark 7:6-7)
Jesus’ point about rules is the same as Isaiah’s. They end up moving your heart away from the things that matter and from the One who matters most.
David F. Miller said, “The Christian life is not a list of rules; it’s a life of righteousness.”
Every time you put pressure on yourself or others to follow man-made rules, you move further away from the heart of God. Instead of valuing Him, you value your ability to adhere to human systems of righteousness. You esteem and respect your ability to perform instead of His ability to transform.
The Bible’s rules about envy, lust, sex outside of marriage, eating more than our bodies need, and other clear instructions are not human. They promote your relationship with God and fit remarkably well into Jesus’ summary: Love God with your entire being and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31).
Prayer: Father, help me to replace my list of rules with a life of righteousness.
In His answer to the religious leaders, Jesus quotes the Old Testament: “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’” (Mark 7:6-7)
Jesus’ point about rules is the same as Isaiah’s. They end up moving your heart away from the things that matter and from the One who matters most.
David F. Miller said, “The Christian life is not a list of rules; it’s a life of righteousness.”
Every time you put pressure on yourself or others to follow man-made rules, you move further away from the heart of God. Instead of valuing Him, you value your ability to adhere to human systems of righteousness. You esteem and respect your ability to perform instead of His ability to transform.
The Bible’s rules about envy, lust, sex outside of marriage, eating more than our bodies need, and other clear instructions are not human. They promote your relationship with God and fit remarkably well into Jesus’ summary: Love God with your entire being and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31).
Prayer: Father, help me to replace my list of rules with a life of righteousness.
