Matthew 23:2
The authenticity of the ministry of Christ is so very apparent. One whose teaching was so different from the norm in Judaism at the time would be thought to refuse as worthless anything coming from Jerusalem. But, Jesus did not do this. He spoke from the point of view of one who was intimately acquainted with he law, and who knew all that went on. He did not try to destroy the establishment of the teaching of God’s Word. He knew that he would be sending out teachers and preachers of his doctrine. And, whether they knew it or not, every teacher of the Mosaic law in his day was expounding his doctrine. The law was not his enemy, and it still isn’t. Jesus knew how to avoid the ‘baby with the bathwater’ problem better than we often do. He was the source of the law, and he was the One who wanted it to be taught. So, whether rightly or wrongly, when it was taught he approved of it. He was able to bring to the Jewish mind thoughts that had not occurred to anyone before, and yet he remained absolutely consistent with the law of Moses.
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 9:1-12:25
Scripture Memory: James 2:9 “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, deliver us from thinking that we can ever make headway in this life without Christ. He is so vital to our thinking. He is absolutely indispensable to our understanding of our moral selves. We cannot have life without him. We may seem to survive. We may have some form of life. But without him we may not legitimate our existence. Without him, we could never live for an eternity. Our hearts would corrupt us long before then. Fear, despondency, perversion, arrogance, and even boredom would swallow us whole. By Christ we may escape the limitations of an existence tied to decaying flesh. We may by him see a possibility of life that is not defined by a struggle against the unknown enemy that we fail to put a face on for fear we will see ourselves. By Him we begin to understand the joys of work without toil, pleasure without pain, and relationships without parting. By Him we strangle the lie that ‘I need my problems’ to become a better human. We begin to see the possibility of life without death, progress without struggle, and identity without powerlessness. We see the horizon of an eternity where we will understand how that a Changeless, Realization-less, Eternally Static and Incomparable Person is actually the most Alive, Warm, Kind, Personable, Self-aware, Unique, and Loving One in Three that could be. For many of us our circumstances define us, for others they surround us, for still others they engulf us. Some even pretend to shape their circumstances. For the Christian, circumstances hang from us as pendants or medals that would decorate and honored hero. They can be traded in for glory. Our circumstances, which fill out our time here on earth, are our currency for eternity. May Christ be praised! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.
Prayer Requests: Pray for a family distressed after losing a loved one suddenly. Pray for a man having heart surgery on Monday. Pray for a man going in for a consultation with a doctor.
Journal Entry #14183