Reading: Mark 7 - 9
My Verse: "Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many things of this kind you are doing." (7:13)
Oh, Lord, You were so frustrated (if I can say that!) with the people for their stubborn haughty hearts. You use both Isaiah and Jeremiah to remind the people of what You speak.
"Are your hearts in [a settled state of] hardness? Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears do you not hear and perceive and understand the sense of what is said? And do you not remember?" (8:17b, 18)
From the great distance of time it is easy to wonder how the Pharisees - these learned men- have been so blind! Yet we ourselves are not far from having haughty, self-righteous, sanctimonious heart attitudes! Oh, Lord, keep me ever introspective in this.
"A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers." (John 4:23)
You desire genuineness - pure hearts - truth from us, Lord. I like how Richard Foster states this. "To worship is to experience Reality, to touch Life. It is to know, to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community."
You, Lord, are Reality. You are Life. Help me to ever keep that at the forefront of my mind when I am in church. And I pray that we as a church continually reexamine why we do what we do in our worship services - that we do not end up performing empty ritualistic traditions.
"Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." (Ps. 29:2)
"Extol the Lord our God and worship at His footstool! Holy is He!" (Ps. 99:5)
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many things of this kind you are doing." (7:13)
Oh, Lord, You were so frustrated (if I can say that!) with the people for their stubborn haughty hearts. You use both Isaiah and Jeremiah to remind the people of what You speak.
"Are your hearts in [a settled state of] hardness? Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears do you not hear and perceive and understand the sense of what is said? And do you not remember?" (8:17b, 18)
From the great distance of time it is easy to wonder how the Pharisees - these learned men- have been so blind! Yet we ourselves are not far from having haughty, self-righteous, sanctimonious heart attitudes! Oh, Lord, keep me ever introspective in this.
"A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers." (John 4:23)
You desire genuineness - pure hearts - truth from us, Lord. I like how Richard Foster states this. "To worship is to experience Reality, to touch Life. It is to know, to feel, to experience the resurrected Christ in the midst of the gathered community."
You, Lord, are Reality. You are Life. Help me to ever keep that at the forefront of my mind when I am in church. And I pray that we as a church continually reexamine why we do what we do in our worship services - that we do not end up performing empty ritualistic traditions.
"Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." (Ps. 29:2)
"Extol the Lord our God and worship at His footstool! Holy is He!" (Ps. 99:5)
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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