Pedantic
As I look out the bay window this morning it is a gorgeous day, Father! Thank You for Your bountiful gift of beauty and life!
Matthew 15:1-9 (<<click the green)
In reading through a commentary on this particular passage, I saw the wonder pedantic used in reference to the Pharisees. I knew generally what it meant but I looked it up and dictionary.com defines it as overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching.
Boy does that aptly describe them!
Lord, here you are teaching thousands of people – that’s more than the Pharisees were doing! And miraculously you had even fed, from 5 loaves and 2 fishes, 5,000 men plus women and children! And the Pharisees couldn’t have even begun to do that! Yet after all that has been said and done on Your part, what do they do? Are they pouring forth Your praises? Are they bowing at Your feet? Are they seeking to learn from Your teachings? No…they are pedantic.
In my mind’s eye, I can see them in their flowing robes with their tassels swaying to and fro as they strolled in, noses in the air, disdaining the common folk around them and with great pomp and bravado asking,
“Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”
(Cue needle scratching across record audio clip) What!?!?! Here is the Messiah, the Son of God himself, touching people, changing lives, feeing multitudes from almost nothing and…and You have the audacity to whiningly complain about a tradition of hand washing? It’s not even a part of Mosaic law – it’s just something a bunch of over-studious scholars decided was important.
You don’t often see Jesus angry but when you do it is totally legitimate! He didn’t say it like I wrote it above but He sure didn’t hold back!
“And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? … you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”
Lord Jesus, help us! This is not just a malady from Your time amongst us. How often do we get nit-picky (pedantic) about so many unimportant things while we sacrifice people with real issues and needs? Traditions are fine but not at the expense of what is really important. Fill us with Your love and wisdom, Lord. Amen.
May 17th, 2018, Thurs, 9:34 am
More Than a Genie
Thank You, Father, for the opportunity to enjoy a time of fellowship with fellow pastors this morning. The message by guest speaker, Alistair Begg, was very uplifting, as well. Carry me through this day. Amen.
Matthew 14:34-36 (<<click the green)
I don’t remember doing it often but as a child, I probably hit up my mom for something I wanted with a lot of flattery on my part thinking I would more readily get my way. At those times I was thinking way more of what I could get from her than what I could give to her.
Lord, how often do we treat You that way? How many of us only come to You when we need something. We have an ache. We need a job. We’ve lost a loved one. “Oh, Jesus I need something, meet my need, please.”
Needs are totally legitimate and You want us to bring everything to You. We tend to carry way too much as it is but… And I pause because we need to think about this. Lord Jesus, You offer us so much more than fixing our problems. You sacrificially gave of Yourself so that we might be with You for eternity. You love us…You cherish us.
But do we come to You just to have our needs met? Do we come only to prolong and make our lives comfortable but forget that it’s all about relationship? You are more than a genie in a bottle. You are our Lord and Savior. And You offer us so much more than the piddly stuff for which we ask.
“Only when we understand the real Jesus Christ can we appreciate how he can truly change our life.” Life Application Bible NLT
May I ask, Lord, but may our relationship be of utmost importance. Amen.
May 16th, 2018, Wed, 11:03 am
Faltering Faith
This day is not at its completion but, Father, I would ask for Your hand upon my shoulder. Guide and direct my words and my actions. Amen.
Matthew 14:24-33 (<<click the green)
If you don’t already have one, a study Bible can be a great asset in understanding and applying Scripture to your life here and now. There is a lot to choose from out there but I will tell you that the study Bible I use as the main reference point for my writing is the Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation. I am pretty sure it is available in other translations, as well.
I say all that to say that I really appreciate my study Bible in that on numerous occasions it has pointed out a particular application that really hits home with me and this passage is a case in point.
Here is a quote in reference to verses 30 and 31,
“Although we start out with good intentions, sometimes our faith falters. This doesn’t necessarily mean we have failed. When Peter’s faith faltered, he reached out to Christ, the only one who could help. He was afraid, but he still looked to Christ. When you are apprehensive about the troubles around you and doubt Christ’s presence or ability to help, remember that he is always with you and is the only one who can really help.”
Lord Jesus, You know absolutely everything about me. You know everything I do and think and You also know why I do everything I do and think. When our faith falters we, like Adam and Eve in the Garden, want to run and hide. But You want us to look to You. We can’t do a thing to fix our problem. We find ourselves in the exact same predicament as Peter – we can’t help ourselves and we start to sink. Only You can really help. Lord, may I look to You and nowhere else. Amen.
May 15th, 2018, Tues, 4:36 pm
Mowing the Straight and Narrow
Thank You, Father, for the gifts You have given me. May I never use them without crediting You for the blessings of those gifts. Use them as You will and multiply the impact they have for Your glory. Amen.
Matthew 14:24-33 (<<click the green)
In my lifetime I have mowed many a yard. I pushed lots of mowers; I’ve ridden a few mowers and can do pretty well with a zero-turn. But no matter what kind of mower I use there is one guideline which my dad taught me that runs true. If you want your mowing lines to be straight the best way to do it is to have a focal point in the distance. Focusing on that point and not constantly on your immediate surroundings will keep your line straight.
The same is true in today’s passage. Peter wasn’t testing You, Lord, but literally stepped out of that boat on faith, even in the midst of the storm. He did so, trusting You. All was well and good until he took his eyes off of You and started noticing his immediate surroundings. And that’s when he began to sink.
Lord, we must keep our eyes on You – through the easy and the hard times. If we are to “mow” the straight and narrow we must focus on You. You must be our focal point. If that is not the case we can easily get out of line. Keeping our eyes on You in difficult times helps us to keep our head above water when we begin to feel that we are going under. You clearly say to us, as well, “Don’t be afraid… Take courage. I am here!”
Lord Jesus, regardless of what today may bring may I make sure that I am “fixing [my] eyes on [You], the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Amen.
May 14th, 2018m Mon, 6:18 am
Clear Vision Needed
Where would we be without mothers, Father? Thank you for making them the great caregivers that they are! And, of course, their best traits come from You! Please bless them, Father!
Matthew 14:22-23 (<<click the green)
Lord, many times You put our needs above Your own –and ultimately it led You to Your sacrifice for our sake on the cross – but You always made it a priority to spend time alone with Your Father. And sometimes the only time left after giving of Yourself to us and our needs was the wee hours of the morning. Such was the case in this portion of Scripture.
We are important to You but Your relationship with Your Father was of the utmost importance. You realized that time spent with Him greatly impacted the time spent with us. If God’s own Son felt the need of spending time with His Father, shouldn’t I? Most assuredly!
We all – every single one of us! – must spend time with You, Lord, in prayer and in Your word. If we are going to grow in grace, for our own spiritual wellbeing, and if we are to impact the world for Your Kingdom it is an absolute necessity! How can we say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done if we do not have a clear direction? We can sometimes see where and when we need to interact but oft times we don’t see very well. Only when we are in regular contact with our shepherd can we get the guidance we need. Only then can our vision go from blurry to clear.
Lord Jesus, I would ask that my heart would burn within me to make sure that I spend time – not just 5 or 10 minutes squeezed in when I can (though that is better than nothing!)– but may I be determined to spend quality time with You! May my goal be to regularly sit quietly at Your feet, to learn from You so that I may become more and more like You. “Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.” Amen.
May 13th, 2018, Sun, 9:30 pm