Father, the last several days this 1st verse of a hymn we sang recently at church has popped into my mind.
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.
~ John G. Whittier, 1872
It is fitting to share. Amen.
Matthew 7:15-20 (<<click the green)
Lord, You have admonished us to not judge but there is one very important area where we must carefully scrutinize who we are listening to, what is being communicated and the motivation that is behind it all. You warn us to “Beware of false prophets…”, individuals who come making spiritual assertions but are not spurred on by a relationship with You but are out to fill their own pockets or to stoke their own egos or to exert control over others, these are the ones that we must be on our guard against.
On the surface, things make look all well and good but just looking a little deeper makes the truth apparent. They may be “dressed as sheep but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” They are only out to feed their own selfish desires.
And this is where we must be very cautious. Quite often we are so intent on not judging that we hesitate to see their “fruit” for what it is. Lord, you make it very clear that a “good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”
Lord Jesus, help us to be attentive. Help us to be discerning. Help us to have no hesitation to leave bad fruit behind and go for the fruit that is good. Amen,
Feb 14th, 2018, 9:30 am
