January 23
Matthew 15:1-28
Are you an obedient person? The Pharisees would have claimed to be obedient people, but Jesus points out they are far from truly obedient to God. Jesus first points out that the Pharisees were not obeying God because they had created their own set of traditions rather than being committed to God’s commands. These man-made instructions allowed them to wiggle out of things like honoring their father and mother. So, as we consider the issue of obedience, we have to ask whether or not we are truly obeying God’s commands and allowing Scripture to inform our lives and seek to obey through the power of the Spirit, or have we settled for something else?
Second, Jesus points out that true obedience is not simply external adherence but heart transformation. We can honor God with our lips and with our actions, but if our hearts are far from him than we are missing the mark. Jesus in quoting Isaiah says, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." The Pharisees were viewed as the spiritually elite when they were far from God. In contrast to the heart of the Pharisees is the Canaanite woman who begs for Jesus to heal her daughter. She reveals a heart that is desperate for Jesus and Jesus calls her a woman of "great faith." An open, humble heart is one that is close to God and is the heart we should seek to cultivate.
Father God, I need you. Help me to understand how much I truly need you in every part of my life. Amen.
How can you cultivate a heart that is always reliant on God?
Are you an obedient person? The Pharisees would have claimed to be obedient people, but Jesus points out they are far from truly obedient to God. Jesus first points out that the Pharisees were not obeying God because they had created their own set of traditions rather than being committed to God’s commands. These man-made instructions allowed them to wiggle out of things like honoring their father and mother. So, as we consider the issue of obedience, we have to ask whether or not we are truly obeying God’s commands and allowing Scripture to inform our lives and seek to obey through the power of the Spirit, or have we settled for something else?
Second, Jesus points out that true obedience is not simply external adherence but heart transformation. We can honor God with our lips and with our actions, but if our hearts are far from him than we are missing the mark. Jesus in quoting Isaiah says, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." The Pharisees were viewed as the spiritually elite when they were far from God. In contrast to the heart of the Pharisees is the Canaanite woman who begs for Jesus to heal her daughter. She reveals a heart that is desperate for Jesus and Jesus calls her a woman of "great faith." An open, humble heart is one that is close to God and is the heart we should seek to cultivate.
Father God, I need you. Help me to understand how much I truly need you in every part of my life. Amen.
How can you cultivate a heart that is always reliant on God?
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