Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
July 6, 2024
Matthew 23:23-24
23 “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You give to God a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, but you forget about the more important matters of the Law: justice, peace, and faith. You ought to give a tenth but without forgetting about those more important matters. 24 You blind guides! You filter out an ant but swallow a camel.
Good Morning! Remember the things that matter!
This passage falls in the middle of the seven woes that Jesus is specifying for the Pharisees. The overall theme is an accounting of their hypocrisy. The passage begins, “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see . . .”
We must ask ourselves, do we just talk the talk, or do we walk the walk? This idea of do as I say, not as I do, permeates our society. Many have a public image with a fake smile and aura of caring for those in need, but a very different image emerges when the cameras are gone, and the door is shut.
During Lowell’s first year as pastor, I remember being asked by a long-time, upstanding church member, “How has your family adjusted to the changes of being a pastor’s family?” I responded, “Were we supposed to change?” Shouldn’t we be the face of Jesus regardless of our earthly titles and roles?
We are all still sinners and incapable of living into the life to which Christ calls us, without the grace of God. No one of us is more worthy than the least of these. Fancy titles, clothes, and adornments mean nothing if our souls are not aligned with God. As Wesley often asked, we must ask ourselves, “How is it with your soul?” Jesus said, “Remember the things that matter!” Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. When these are our guiding principles, all is well with our souls.
God of Love, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. It is easy to talk the talk, but we struggle with walking the walk. Thank you for helping us through our challenges. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Praying and studying scripture bring us closer to God.
Walk the Walk of Jesus! Pastor Liz
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