Day 133 "We will always seek to break the law, yet the love has set us captives free."

Day 133 Matthew 15:15-20 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.” The law has been fulfilled, hallelujah! Can you imagine attempting to live by the law in today's western society? Unfortunately, far too many Church leaders still are attempting to have their flocks live by the law. I truly do not understand why anyone would choose to become legalistic and attempt living by the law when Christ Himself has come to show us a better way. While in Israel, I was taken back by many things pertaining to the law; however, one in particular stands out in my mind. By the way, let me take a moment to remind you that the Jewish people are free from the law as well; however, most of them have chosen not to believe that the Messiah has come and, therefore, they still practice the law. Anyhow, I was standing near the Wailing Wall watching as these faithful men and women prayed earnestly and with such great discipline that it was actually quite humbling to see their conviction. I had noticed that before approaching the wall, they would walk over to a basin and wash their hands, and after some investigation, I was told that this was, of course, an act of sanctification. Intrigued, I began to pay particular attention to this process; I wanted to understand all that I could about this culture, about these chosen people of God. I must say that what I saw was very hard for me to understand. Most of the men were prolific smokers and, as they approached the basin, they would extinguish their cigarettes, often in the water which, by the way, was terribly filthy, as was the basin. They would then stick their hands rather quickly into the water and head toward the wall to pray. Needless to say, this entire process was very confusing to me, and while I would never want to judge these men, let me just say I didn't then, nor do I now, get it. How can one believe that the traditional act of sprinkling your hands in literally filthy water will make a holy God hear your prayers better than the act of submitting to receiving and accepting that Jesus is the Messiah? I find this no harder to understand than some of the other traditional or legalistic things that we have adopted in many of our houses of worship as rules and conditions to worshipping God. This is what can happen when the law is the rule; the heart takes over and the meaning of and heart behind the law is completely lost–men are inherently controlled by their hearts. The law will not save people nor draw them closer to God, only the savior and His gifts of grace and mercy will bring men to a right relationship with God, and that is pretty much it. As Jesus said, the heart is wicked, and when people say things like “I feel this” or “I think that,” they are treading on rocky ground. I know, I've been there, and the fall will often leave us and those around us bruised and hurting. Let us all remember to trust not our hearts but rather the Word. While we are prone to failure, it cannot fail, and in this we should find great comfort. Daily Prayer: Father, please forgive me for those times I have trusted my heart and failed to hear your Word. I pray also Lord that You would forgive me for my judgmental ways and teach me to walk in love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "We will always seek to break the law, yet the love has set us captives free." Pastor Gene Burroughs