April 29, 2014
Some people delight in serving as God’s parliamentarians. They aspire to be experts in God’s rules and regulations, and serve as self-appointed referees. They delight in catching and reprimanding ruler-breakers. And, Jesus was often a prime suspect.
The setting was a grain field, ripe for harvest. Jesus’ band of disciples, being hungry, plucked some ripe heads of grain for food - not an illegal activity. The only problem was that it was a sabbath day, and the self-appointed referees cried, “Foul!”, because technically these men were harvesting on a day of rest. Jesus replied and referenced an incident in the life of king David, and a precedent set by God’s priests (Matthew 12.3-5). His response culminated in a stinging rebuttal against these self-righteous referees:
“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Matthew 12.7)
God’s Law and regulations are a pathway to obedience and holiness. Problem is, they too easily become a club in the hands of the legalistic whose desire is to beat all into submission. Such motivation overlooks and abuses God’s overriding desire for compassion.
It is from compassion that God established laws such as the sabbath. A day of rest is proven to be beneficial. Thus, love for a God who has our best interests in mind leads us to break our work routine for a day of rest. But, as Jesus so often demonstrated, any day is a good day to be merciful and compassionate - as His sabbath miracles attest.
Disciplines are important tools for developing godly character. A disciple is literally a disciplined one. But, when disciplines enslave, and replace compassion and mercy, they have gone too far.
May the disciplines that aid in developing our Christian character be in harmony with our compassion for people, and our love for their Creator.
©Steve Taylor, 2014
Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
Amazon ebook & print devotional -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GW
paperback print copy of book — https://www.createspace.com/4500045
The setting was a grain field, ripe for harvest. Jesus’ band of disciples, being hungry, plucked some ripe heads of grain for food - not an illegal activity. The only problem was that it was a sabbath day, and the self-appointed referees cried, “Foul!”, because technically these men were harvesting on a day of rest. Jesus replied and referenced an incident in the life of king David, and a precedent set by God’s priests (Matthew 12.3-5). His response culminated in a stinging rebuttal against these self-righteous referees:
“But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Matthew 12.7)
God’s Law and regulations are a pathway to obedience and holiness. Problem is, they too easily become a club in the hands of the legalistic whose desire is to beat all into submission. Such motivation overlooks and abuses God’s overriding desire for compassion.
It is from compassion that God established laws such as the sabbath. A day of rest is proven to be beneficial. Thus, love for a God who has our best interests in mind leads us to break our work routine for a day of rest. But, as Jesus so often demonstrated, any day is a good day to be merciful and compassionate - as His sabbath miracles attest.
Disciplines are important tools for developing godly character. A disciple is literally a disciplined one. But, when disciplines enslave, and replace compassion and mercy, they have gone too far.
May the disciplines that aid in developing our Christian character be in harmony with our compassion for people, and our love for their Creator.
©Steve Taylor, 2014
Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/
Amazon ebook & print devotional -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FQ1Q9GW
paperback print copy of book — https://www.createspace.com/4500045
posted by steve @ 9:24 AM
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