October 17: Luke 11:37-41
Key Verse: Luke 11:39
Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
Devotion:
Carrying on from yesterday, it is one thing to act like a Christian but a whole different story to BE a Christian! If we go around acting like Christians but carrying out all of the things God calls us to do, then we are no different from any sales person trying to peddle items they do not want themselves. Now some people can lie and tell a big sales story just to get people to buy their goods, but I can’t – believe me I tried!
When Jesus sat down to eat with this Pharisee He chose not to wash His hands before the meal. This was not because He had bad habits (like my parents used to tell me) but because He wanted the Pharisee to see the difference between a habit and a sign of dedication! The Pharisee was used to doing things in a particular manner and making sure the rules were always followed – but what he did not realise he was doing was to forget why those acts, such as cleaning of hands, were being done in the first place!
The same goes for our lives with Christ. We must not get used to doing things because that is what our service sheet says or because that is what we have always done. We must be doing things because they are meaningful to our relationship with Christ at the time we are doing them!
Jesus berated the Pharisee for cleaning the outside but not the inside. We should be remembering we must not just do things but do them because we love Christ first and foremost!
Points to Ponder:
What things do you do in church because you have always done it?
Will you stop and think about what you do today?