Cup Prayer –
This prayer will help you pour your heart out to God (Ps. 62:8). Begin with
your hands folded together like an upside-down cup. Pour out before God all
your fears, anxieties, guilt, sin and shame. Tell Him what troubles you. Take
time to be specific. When you feel like you’ve poured out your heart, flip your
hands over, folding them like an open cup, ready to receive from God. Sit in
silence, asking God simply to fill you with His Spirit. If your mind runs back
to sin, shame, anxiety or concerns of the day, flip your hands back over and
pour it out to the Lord. When you are finished praying, read today’s Scripture
and listen as God shares His heart back with you.
DEVOTION / REFLECTION
Six Dangerous Steps
by Tom Richards
In today’s reading Jesus has some
tough words for the Pharisees and “experts in the law”. In simple terms, the Pharisees were a Jewish
sect in Jesus time known for their strict
observance of rites and ceremonies of the written law and for insistence on
their own oral traditions. The “experts
in the law” were likely highly esteemed scribes, referred to as lawyers in some
translations.
These verses represent at least the sixth
time Jesus has encountered this group in the book of Luke. When I read these words of Jesus I find
myself cheering him on – “You tell them Jesus”, until I consider that I am
often guilty of some of the same things that they are. It is pretty easy to see what Jesus did not
want the Pharisees to do, but what were some things he did want them to
do? And, what does he want us to do? Listed below are a few things that I saw in
the passage. Perhaps you can add more:
“But give what is inside the dish to the poor,
and everything will be clean for you.” This seems pretty straightforward, Jesus
wants the Pharisees (and us) to give of ourselves to the poor. This is a pretty consistent theme in
scripture. There are lots of
opportunities in our daily lives and through our church to be obedient to our
savior in this area. Are we giving to
the poor?
“But you neglect justice and the love of God.” These
seem to go hand in hand. If we truly
love God then it follows that we will want justice, for ourselves and
others. Do we demonstrate our love
for God by practicing justice in our actions and showing concern for the
justice of others?
“You love the most important seats in the
synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” This
seems like a call to humility. This is
not something that our culture encourages, but it sure looks like Jesus
does. Do we practice humility?
“You load people down with burdens they can
hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.” To me,
Jesus is calling on the “experts in the law” to serve. They were speaking from a place of
“privilege” in their time but Jesus challenges them to serve others. Are we serving others?
“You have taken away the key to
knowledge. You yourselves have not
entered and you have hindered those who were entering.” I
would argue that the “key to knowledge” is the truth of God’s word and the good
news of Jesus. Do we study his word
and do we share the gospel and God’s word with others?
Consider and Reflect: This reading has given me some things to consider as I venture further into 2021. I hope it does the same for you!
2 comments:
Tom:
Thank you for your insightful commentary. I have never looked at this scripture from the standpoint you presented. It is convicting, to say the least. Most times I give myself a passing grade in serving others and giving to those in need. That said, am I serving as Jesus would serve? Am I giving as Jesus would give? I am constrained by my fleshly desires and can up the ante in all the areas you mention. Excellent study!
Robin Lorms
it looks like it is actually 7 woes.
Post a Comment