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Walk the Walk
Tim Savage6Jesus replied, “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.
7Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
8For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
20And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7
Even though we know God and we know His power and authority, we often relegate Him to serve our needs, wants and cravings. We say one thing, but live another. We say, “God, we love You, adore You and worship You,” but that’s only when it’s convenient, comfortable or when it suits us. It’s easy to look back at the Pharisees and see their hypocrisy, how they turned their spiritual leadership position from service to being served. That change took place over time, slowly, but surely, they started taking God for granted until they got to a place where we, in retrospect, can see that they how absurd it was. The question is do I take God for granted? Do I manipulate situations to fit my wants and desires rather than submit everything to serve Him?
I must not be a hypocrite, saying one thing in front of others and living differently behind the scenes. I must walk the walk. There is a little Pharisee in each of us, just waiting to come out and I must always be on guard of my own hidden agenda motivating my actions or decisions. It is in submitting all to Him that my worship will be acceptable to Him.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Forgive me when I put anything before You. Forgive me when I say one thing, but live another. May I never take You for granted, but always remember to give You honor and praise and glory.
In Jesus name,
Amen
