Near Hearts
You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Matthew 15:7-9
Why do you do the things you do? Work for instance? Do you turn up to work because you love your job? Or because it pays the bills? Do you hang out with your family because you feel an obligation or because you genuinely enjoy their company?
Often, our answers to questions like this are to be honest, mixed. A little bit of both. You turn up to work because sometimes you like your job and other times you are just doing it for the money etc.
Jesus' words to the Pharisees raises questions for us. Why do we do what we do? Why do you turn up to Church on a Sunday? Why do you pray? Why do you try to be a good person?
There is a danger at the heart of human nature. It’s to think that simply doing these things is what counts. But Jesus reminds us that why you do these things is even more important than what you do.
There is a person who can never miss a Sunday, pray every day and do more good than their neighbours. And yet, if there hearts are far from God - these things are futile (see 1 Corinthians 13).
It’s not that we shouldn’t do these things. It’s that we were made to do them out of love. Love of God and love of people. Is that why you turn up to Church, pray, do good etc.?
The truth is, for all Christians this side of heaven, there will be a mix of desires going on. A mix of feelings of obligation as well love. Or of selfish gain as well as love. The problem with the Pharisees was there was no love. That’s not you.
The question is - how can you encourage and cultivate that loving heart?
Today:
Pray:
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Matthew 15:7-9
Why do you do the things you do? Work for instance? Do you turn up to work because you love your job? Or because it pays the bills? Do you hang out with your family because you feel an obligation or because you genuinely enjoy their company?
Often, our answers to questions like this are to be honest, mixed. A little bit of both. You turn up to work because sometimes you like your job and other times you are just doing it for the money etc.
Jesus' words to the Pharisees raises questions for us. Why do we do what we do? Why do you turn up to Church on a Sunday? Why do you pray? Why do you try to be a good person?
There is a danger at the heart of human nature. It’s to think that simply doing these things is what counts. But Jesus reminds us that why you do these things is even more important than what you do.
There is a person who can never miss a Sunday, pray every day and do more good than their neighbours. And yet, if there hearts are far from God - these things are futile (see 1 Corinthians 13).
It’s not that we shouldn’t do these things. It’s that we were made to do them out of love. Love of God and love of people. Is that why you turn up to Church, pray, do good etc.?
The truth is, for all Christians this side of heaven, there will be a mix of desires going on. A mix of feelings of obligation as well love. Or of selfish gain as well as love. The problem with the Pharisees was there was no love. That’s not you.
The question is - how can you encourage and cultivate that loving heart?
Today:
- Why do you work/study?
- Why do you turn up to Church on Sunday?
- Cultivate a loving heart by reminding yourself of God’s love for you and His loveliness.
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He is love.
- Give thanks for Jesus who shows us God’s love.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others love Him and each other.
Posted in Matthew
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