“This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of Men.” (Matthew 15:8-9, NASB)
There are many things you never want to hear on the golf course, but I have heard it said that the worst words you can hear in golf after you hit a shot are, “You’re still away.” If you play golf, you’ll hear this from time to time. It means you still have work to do. Maybe a lot of work.
In the meetup between Jesus and the hypocritical religious leaders described in Matthew 15, Jesus had the same message for these detractors of his. He quoted the prophet Isaiah—someone they very much respected—and effectively told them, “You still have a lot of work to do.”
We often do not associate Christianity with the Pharisees, especially since we blame them as the party responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. Still, I cannot help but see a correlation between many professing Christians today and the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ time. We might claim to be part of God’s exclusive club because of our intellectual beliefs (a.k.a. doctrine), often going through the motions of church services, ritual ceremonies, and even charitable acts; however, we learn from the words of Jesus that these things do not necessarily represent a faith he recognizes as genuine.
We learn from the words of Jesus that these things do not necessarily represent a faith he recognizes as genuine.Jesus said, “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it…. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:14, 21-23).
According to Wikipedia, 75 percent of polled American adults identified themselves as Christian in 2015, and statistically it is the largest religion in the world. But is there a disconnect between the religious doctrines or practices of many people and their hearts? Has the same mark of many Jews leading up to the time of Jesus—being more religious than relational with God—become the testament of people’s faith today?
We don’t want this to be true! We want to be certain we’re not going to hear from the Lord, “I never knew you; depart from me.” So what shall we do?
Ask, seek, and knock!
Jesus promises not to turn anyone away who genuinely seeks him. He wants to be your life coach and teacher. He wants to equip you to further his work here on earth. He’s less worried about your flaws and more concerned with the agenda of your heart and the direction you’re heading. He is “the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through” him (John 14:6). May we accept that our way merged with only an intellectual Christian faith may not be his way that leads to life. May we all prioritize knowing our Lord intimately, so that he would never deny our sincere relationship, despite our shortcomings and failures.
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Josh Nelson
September 16, 2019
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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