August 21: PHARISEES

See it:

Jesus also taught: “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.” Mark 12:38-40 (NLT)

Obey it:

It is clear from scripture that God not only cares that we serve others, but He cares why we serve others. The spirit of a Pharisee looks to help others when it’s convenient for their own purposes. There are three problems with Pharisees:

1.      They love for people to recognize THEM. In reality, all we do should point to someone greater than we: Jesus. Pharisees will not waste a second before telling you what they are doing. When you serve, tell others about how good God is, not how much you did.

2.      They care more for less important things. The text says that Pharisees care for the opinions of people yet forget to help the needy. Is that the reality in your life? Your congregation? Your family? Do you care more for people that are farther from God than your group of church friends? Usually in churches, the problem is not that we are not friendly. It’s that we are friendly only with ourselves. Decide to change that!

3.      Their personal life is a mess. Publicly they front. Privately they steal. I’ve yet to meet a Pharisee that did not have private struggles that manifested themselves publicly, later. We usually criticize to deflect attention from our own dysfunctions. The best way to deal with our private struggles is to both accept and extend grace. We should extend grace especially toward those we deem unworthy to receive it.

Share it:
1. Compliment a stranger sincerely.
2. Run an errand for someone.
3. Give something awesome away on craigslist.

My prayer today:
Lord, help me to care for the important things: to love You and care for Your children. Help me to leave the accolades for others. Amen.

Season of Service