Father, no matter how far along the path we journey with You, no matter how close we are to You, the great deceiver lurks. He wants us to fall. He wants us to wander from Your side. This evening I would pray for all believers that they would remain strong, that when the stench of his presence first hits us that we will clasp Your hand all the more tightly and quickly gaze into Your eyes for strength that he would be banished once more from our presence. Hear my prayer, oh Father.
Mark 12:38-40 (<<click to read the passage)
Just deserts – and before you go correcting my grammar, it is deserts (with one “s”) and not desserts (with two). The word desert used here is not an arid sand-covered expanse of geography. It is, in fact, an archaic term meaning ‘things deserved’. And it most definitely doesn’t mean you deserve another piece of cake!
Jesus, once again, was laying out the religious leaders’ impure motives. They were pious on the outside alone and He made it very clear that “…because of this, they will be more severely punished.” v40b
In Matthew 23:27-28 Jesus gave an excellent word picture of who they actually were.
For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Lord Jesus, it would strike fear into the hearts of many of Your “followers” if our hearts, thoughts, and true motives were to become transparent to those around us! Many are devout in church attendance. We faithfully support ministry with time, energy and monetary resources. We readily pray over the meals at family gatherings when asked. …and on and on it goes. But truth be told, how many serve out of obligation or tradition. And, sadly so, they have nothing to do with any truly valid relationship with You.
May our eyes be opened. May we face up to the reality of who we really are and turn from our deceptive ways. For, sooner or later, our “just deserts” will come – no doubt about it.

July 9th, 2019, Tues, 10:00 pm