Mark 7:14-23
Then Jesus called to the crowd to
come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand.
Your souls aren’t harmed by what you eat, but by what you think and
say!”
Then he went into a house to get away from the crowds, and
his disciples asked him what he meant by the statement he had just made.
“Don’t
you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that what you eat
won’t harm your soul? For food doesn’t come in contact with your heart,
but only passes through the digestive system.” (By saying this he showed
that every kind of food is kosher.)
And then he added, “It is
the thought-life that pollutes. For from within, out of men’s hearts,
come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, wanting what
belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride,
and all other folly. All these vile things come from within; they are
what pollute you and make you unfit for God.”
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
There has been lots of
talk lately in the news about the “5-second rule.” Apparently, new
studies have been done (who pays for these things?!) to determine
whether food that is dropped on the floor is safe to eat, if picked up
within a certain amount of time - like five seconds. It turns out that
there are extenuating circumstances…particularly what type of floor
surface was involved and the specific food item in question.
The
bottom line is that it probably is NOT a good idea to eat food that has
fallen on the floor. However, we’ve all seen our kids do it before we
could get to them to stop this – and the children are still here! I’ve
been volunteering at the elementary school in Timothy and Zola’s
classrooms, and I have had to remind myself that children are
resilient…and they must have stomachs of iron! As they take turns
drinking from the water fountain…eating all sorts of things without
using hand sanitizer or washing their hands…and so much more, I try not
to think about what they are ingesting!
In a way, you could
maintain that we should be more worried about the knowledge and wisdom
our children internalize than the potential for a few germs to enter
their bodies as they eat their snacks and lunch – or quench their
thirst. And this is essentially the message that Jesus is giving to us
about our own daily living.
Too often, we are overly concerned
with the wrong things. We worry about what this one or that one is
thinking - or how he/she is living - but we don’t pay a bit of attention
to what is in the person’s heart. We condemn all sorts of behaviors
from others while demonstrating plenty of sins and “errors” of our own.
In The Message, verse 16 says, “It’s not what you swallow that pollutes
your life; it’s what you vomit—that’s the real pollution.”
So
let’s stop worrying so much about “appearances.” Let’s quit judging
others based on surface observations and things that really don’t matter
that much…ditch the name calling and overt criticisms…and stop acting
like we are better than the other guy because we call ourselves
Christians. Let’s take a long hard look at what is in our heart…and what
we present to others.
Are our words and actions polluted with
sin? Do we have our priorities in line with those of Jesus? Are we
focused on keeping the main thing the main thing? Are we more concerned with keeping up appearances and feeding the body…or feeding the heart and soul?
Jesus
is very clear that what we think and say – and how we treat others –
matters. Our thoughts, words and actions have lasting consequences. Are
you more worried about the Spiritual “5-second rule”…or spending Eternity in His
presence?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label justifying our sins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label justifying our sins. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 5, 2013
Romans 2:1-4
Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things. We know that God is right to judge everyone who behaves in this way. Do you really think God won’t punish you, when you behave exactly like the people you accuse? You surely don’t think much of God’s wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don’t you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Exactly one year ago this week, I sat with my grandmother in our local hospital, where she had undergone surgery to repair a broken leg bone. The surgeon bolted a rod in place alongside her leg, securing it near the hip socket and above the knee. The plan was to have her up and “walking” the day after surgery. But three days later, she had not budged and didn’t even know her own name – much less mine. After consulting with her doctors, nurses and an in-hospital therapist, I requested Hospice care. This was not an easy decision… and even my nurse-friend at Hospice initially refused, saying, “I have no medical reason to admit her.” Once she came for an evaluation, she realized just how bad my grandmother’s situation really was and readily agreed.
When we returned to the assisted living facility, many of the staff members were somewhat cool toward me. Some made comments like, “We LOVE Miss Polly… we can take care of her… we’d take her home with us if we could.” They implied that I did not care… that Hospice was not necessary…that they knew better than I what should be done in this situation. Please understand that not all of the staff members felt this way. One nurse in particular told me over and over, “Miss Polly does NOT want to be here… she tells me all the time she is ready to go ‘home.’” And indeed, when my grandmother was still able to speak, she told me more than once that she was so ready for heaven and did not understand why God was keeping her here so long.
I do not regret my decision to request Hospice care for my grandmother. And in recent weeks, I have recommended Hospice to others who are dealing with difficult health care choices for their loved ones. I would never question another person’s decision to utilize Hospice… nor would I judge those who say, “Oh, that’s not for us…” or “We’re not ready for that.” I have seen more than one family wait too late to fully benefit from this amazing organization. But this is a deeply personal decision. When I suggest to a family that they engage the services of Hospice, I am not judging their situation – nor trying to tell them what to do. All I can do is share how Hospice helped us… and how they made my grandmother’s last nine months on this earth more comfortable for her – and for us as her caregivers.
There are dozens of situations and circumstances every day in which we serve as judge and jury… instances where we are quick to voice our opinion that “he/she should have done things this way,” or “I would NEVER have said or done such-and-such.” Hopefully you will never commit murder or abuse a child – or any of God’s creatures. But you very well may take the LORD’s name in vain… lie… cheat…steal…gossip…treat others unfairly or unkindly… show bias toward another person because of his/her race, creed, color or lifestyle choices… and more. And no sin is more serious than another in God’s eyes. So when you accuse others of wrongdoing, you will have no excuse that justifies doing so. When you judge another person, God will judge you. The next time you start to pass judgment on another person, remember that you are essentially judging yourself in the bargain.
If we would only turn to God and seek His will and wisdom… then act accordingly…we would never fear judgment. Oh, sure… some on this earth might still have plenty of opinions about our decisions. But as long as we know that God is pleased with our choices, we need not worry about what anyone else thinks. Ask yourself this question…”Can I close my eyes tonight and sleep well… knowing that I have done what God asked of me? Have I spoken and acted according to His plans today? Did I serve well as Christ’s disciple? Is God pleased with me?” If the answer is uncertain, fall to your knees and ask God to show you where you missed the mark…and how to correct this.
We all fall short of complete surrender to God’s will from time to time. But He is waiting for us to turn to Him and make the necessary adjustments. What is holding you back? What is your excuse for operating in anything less than full obedience? Isn’t it time you figured out where your “faith walk” and attitude need work? Isn’t this the perfect time to begin?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others, you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of doing the very same things. We know that God is right to judge everyone who behaves in this way. Do you really think God won’t punish you, when you behave exactly like the people you accuse? You surely don’t think much of God’s wonderful goodness or of his patience and willingness to put up with you. Don’t you know that the reason God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him?
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Exactly one year ago this week, I sat with my grandmother in our local hospital, where she had undergone surgery to repair a broken leg bone. The surgeon bolted a rod in place alongside her leg, securing it near the hip socket and above the knee. The plan was to have her up and “walking” the day after surgery. But three days later, she had not budged and didn’t even know her own name – much less mine. After consulting with her doctors, nurses and an in-hospital therapist, I requested Hospice care. This was not an easy decision… and even my nurse-friend at Hospice initially refused, saying, “I have no medical reason to admit her.” Once she came for an evaluation, she realized just how bad my grandmother’s situation really was and readily agreed.
When we returned to the assisted living facility, many of the staff members were somewhat cool toward me. Some made comments like, “We LOVE Miss Polly… we can take care of her… we’d take her home with us if we could.” They implied that I did not care… that Hospice was not necessary…that they knew better than I what should be done in this situation. Please understand that not all of the staff members felt this way. One nurse in particular told me over and over, “Miss Polly does NOT want to be here… she tells me all the time she is ready to go ‘home.’” And indeed, when my grandmother was still able to speak, she told me more than once that she was so ready for heaven and did not understand why God was keeping her here so long.
I do not regret my decision to request Hospice care for my grandmother. And in recent weeks, I have recommended Hospice to others who are dealing with difficult health care choices for their loved ones. I would never question another person’s decision to utilize Hospice… nor would I judge those who say, “Oh, that’s not for us…” or “We’re not ready for that.” I have seen more than one family wait too late to fully benefit from this amazing organization. But this is a deeply personal decision. When I suggest to a family that they engage the services of Hospice, I am not judging their situation – nor trying to tell them what to do. All I can do is share how Hospice helped us… and how they made my grandmother’s last nine months on this earth more comfortable for her – and for us as her caregivers.
There are dozens of situations and circumstances every day in which we serve as judge and jury… instances where we are quick to voice our opinion that “he/she should have done things this way,” or “I would NEVER have said or done such-and-such.” Hopefully you will never commit murder or abuse a child – or any of God’s creatures. But you very well may take the LORD’s name in vain… lie… cheat…steal…gossip…treat others unfairly or unkindly… show bias toward another person because of his/her race, creed, color or lifestyle choices… and more. And no sin is more serious than another in God’s eyes. So when you accuse others of wrongdoing, you will have no excuse that justifies doing so. When you judge another person, God will judge you. The next time you start to pass judgment on another person, remember that you are essentially judging yourself in the bargain.
If we would only turn to God and seek His will and wisdom… then act accordingly…we would never fear judgment. Oh, sure… some on this earth might still have plenty of opinions about our decisions. But as long as we know that God is pleased with our choices, we need not worry about what anyone else thinks. Ask yourself this question…”Can I close my eyes tonight and sleep well… knowing that I have done what God asked of me? Have I spoken and acted according to His plans today? Did I serve well as Christ’s disciple? Is God pleased with me?” If the answer is uncertain, fall to your knees and ask God to show you where you missed the mark…and how to correct this.
We all fall short of complete surrender to God’s will from time to time. But He is waiting for us to turn to Him and make the necessary adjustments. What is holding you back? What is your excuse for operating in anything less than full obedience? Isn’t it time you figured out where your “faith walk” and attitude need work? Isn’t this the perfect time to begin?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for November 30, 2011
John 18:10-11 Simon Peter had brought along a sword. He now pulled it out and struck at the servant of the high priest. The servant's name was Malchus, and Peter cut off his right ear. Jesus told Peter, "Put your sword away. I must drink from the cup that the Father has given me."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I read this passage, I immediately thought of parents and fans at sporting events. There are times when they feel their child, coach, or participant has been mistreated or wrongly penalized, and they go ballistic. If they could get to the referees to cut off an ear, they probably would! This was a knee-jerk reaction on Peter’s part… and how many of us often behave – even in public!
Jesus shows us in this passage that we often operate outside our boundaries and behave in a manner that does not line up with what He expects from His Disciples. When we do what is honest and fair… and leave the “justice” to God and those who are in the position to make such judgments… we honor our relationship with Jesus Christ and model Christian behavior.
Let me give you another example… I sold an item on eBay, and the buyer asked me to ship the item to her daughter, who lives in Seattle. She said, “I will pay extra for your trouble.” However, she paid the invoice before I calculated the actual shipping cost, and she underpaid by almost one dollar. I told her not to worry about the extra shipping costs, although my profit margin on this piece was already really small. I could have issued a refund and rebilled this woman for the correct amount… and I admit that I considered doing this! But I decided that making another $1.00 was not worth the risk of hurt feelings and creating a bad business relationship.
The next day, I received a message from the buyer saying that she had added extra money to my account to cover the trouble and expense of shipping to her daughter. I checked my account – she added $10! I thanked her and fussed at her for being so overly generous. But in the end, both of us got a blessing and the satisfaction of knowing we did the right thing.
I’m not saying that every time you refrain from cussing a referee you will get extra money in your bank account or some other “reward.” But knowing you did what honors Jesus and your relationship with Him should be enough. I am still learning about online selling, and I’ve messed up and been “burned” more than once… but I’ve always asked myself how Jesus would handle the situation. Even when it hurt my bottom line, I’ve tried to do what I knew was fair and honorable. If we would stop and think about this in all areas of our life, we would have far fewer “lobbed off ears” and more moments of honor and glory to our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.
My challenge to each of us this day is to search our hearts and see where we are trying to invoke justice of our own kind… or make things work out in our favor… and ask if this truly is how Jesus would handle things. Are we pleasing ourselves and/or seeking revenge… or are we honoring our faith? The two are often not the same… do you know the difference?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When I read this passage, I immediately thought of parents and fans at sporting events. There are times when they feel their child, coach, or participant has been mistreated or wrongly penalized, and they go ballistic. If they could get to the referees to cut off an ear, they probably would! This was a knee-jerk reaction on Peter’s part… and how many of us often behave – even in public!
Jesus shows us in this passage that we often operate outside our boundaries and behave in a manner that does not line up with what He expects from His Disciples. When we do what is honest and fair… and leave the “justice” to God and those who are in the position to make such judgments… we honor our relationship with Jesus Christ and model Christian behavior.
Let me give you another example… I sold an item on eBay, and the buyer asked me to ship the item to her daughter, who lives in Seattle. She said, “I will pay extra for your trouble.” However, she paid the invoice before I calculated the actual shipping cost, and she underpaid by almost one dollar. I told her not to worry about the extra shipping costs, although my profit margin on this piece was already really small. I could have issued a refund and rebilled this woman for the correct amount… and I admit that I considered doing this! But I decided that making another $1.00 was not worth the risk of hurt feelings and creating a bad business relationship.
The next day, I received a message from the buyer saying that she had added extra money to my account to cover the trouble and expense of shipping to her daughter. I checked my account – she added $10! I thanked her and fussed at her for being so overly generous. But in the end, both of us got a blessing and the satisfaction of knowing we did the right thing.
I’m not saying that every time you refrain from cussing a referee you will get extra money in your bank account or some other “reward.” But knowing you did what honors Jesus and your relationship with Him should be enough. I am still learning about online selling, and I’ve messed up and been “burned” more than once… but I’ve always asked myself how Jesus would handle the situation. Even when it hurt my bottom line, I’ve tried to do what I knew was fair and honorable. If we would stop and think about this in all areas of our life, we would have far fewer “lobbed off ears” and more moments of honor and glory to our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.
My challenge to each of us this day is to search our hearts and see where we are trying to invoke justice of our own kind… or make things work out in our favor… and ask if this truly is how Jesus would handle things. Are we pleasing ourselves and/or seeking revenge… or are we honoring our faith? The two are often not the same… do you know the difference?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for April 22, 2011
Luke 10:25-29
An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to have eternal life?"
Jesus answered, "What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?" The man replied, "The Scriptures say, `Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.' They also say, `Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.' “
Jesus said, "You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life." But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, "Who are my neighbors?"
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“What’s the catch?” How many times do we ask someone this question? We have become skeptical about so many things. And often, when someone tells us something, we wonder what the hidden agenda is… where is the loophole? There must be an angle… another meaning or motive.
So when this scholar asked Jesus about Eternal Life, he gave the scriptural answer for how to obtain it… and then he basically added, “… but what’s the real answer?” He asked Jesus to define this “neighbor” we are to love as we love ourselves. And if you read the rest of this passage, you will discover the story we know as that of “the Good Samaritan” who treated a complete stranger with love and kindness, just as he would have his own brother.
The point I want us to get today is that we often know the answer, but we still look for the loophole. We know what Jesus wants from us… but we’re looking for a “catch” or an excuse, or another interpretation that better suits our agenda. “Yes, LORD, you told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves… but you didn’t mean poor people, did you? Surely you didn’t mean people who are gay or those who are Muslim! LORD, you were only talking about upper middle class white Americans, right?” Or we justify our behavior by saying, “But LORD, if I talked to someone the way that person talked to me, I would not feel good about myself… so surely you don’t mean for me to love him/her after the things that were said!”
We justify our sins by saying, “But I do love you, LORD… even if I did do such-and-such. It really has nothing to do with my faith!” What we don’t seem to grasp is that loving God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind means never doing anything that would disappoint Him… or cause our “neighbor” to falter… or showing disrespect for God, His children, or even His planet – in any manner! That’s painting with a broad brush… but that’s exactly what Jesus did! Still, we look for the loophole… we don’t believe He was talking about us… and we attempt to do as we please.
The time has come for us to step up to the plate and really hear what Jesus is saying in this passage… and take it at face value. No more arrogance… no more looking for a way around the truth or claiming that these commandments do not apply to us… they do! And the path to Eternal Life is clearly defined here. The question is… are we on this path? Are we following the commandments? Or are we still busy looking for a loophole?
©2011 Debbie Robus
An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to have eternal life?"
Jesus answered, "What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?" The man replied, "The Scriptures say, `Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.' They also say, `Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.' “
Jesus said, "You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life." But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, "Who are my neighbors?"
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“What’s the catch?” How many times do we ask someone this question? We have become skeptical about so many things. And often, when someone tells us something, we wonder what the hidden agenda is… where is the loophole? There must be an angle… another meaning or motive.
So when this scholar asked Jesus about Eternal Life, he gave the scriptural answer for how to obtain it… and then he basically added, “… but what’s the real answer?” He asked Jesus to define this “neighbor” we are to love as we love ourselves. And if you read the rest of this passage, you will discover the story we know as that of “the Good Samaritan” who treated a complete stranger with love and kindness, just as he would have his own brother.
The point I want us to get today is that we often know the answer, but we still look for the loophole. We know what Jesus wants from us… but we’re looking for a “catch” or an excuse, or another interpretation that better suits our agenda. “Yes, LORD, you told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves… but you didn’t mean poor people, did you? Surely you didn’t mean people who are gay or those who are Muslim! LORD, you were only talking about upper middle class white Americans, right?” Or we justify our behavior by saying, “But LORD, if I talked to someone the way that person talked to me, I would not feel good about myself… so surely you don’t mean for me to love him/her after the things that were said!”
We justify our sins by saying, “But I do love you, LORD… even if I did do such-and-such. It really has nothing to do with my faith!” What we don’t seem to grasp is that loving God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind means never doing anything that would disappoint Him… or cause our “neighbor” to falter… or showing disrespect for God, His children, or even His planet – in any manner! That’s painting with a broad brush… but that’s exactly what Jesus did! Still, we look for the loophole… we don’t believe He was talking about us… and we attempt to do as we please.
The time has come for us to step up to the plate and really hear what Jesus is saying in this passage… and take it at face value. No more arrogance… no more looking for a way around the truth or claiming that these commandments do not apply to us… they do! And the path to Eternal Life is clearly defined here. The question is… are we on this path? Are we following the commandments? Or are we still busy looking for a loophole?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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