Advent Devotions: Week 3 Tuesday
The readings given for today: Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13, Psalm 34:1-8, and Matthew 21:23-32 (Includes last nights reading, which I misread)
Remember those "bad" Pharisees we heard about last night? Jesus it talking about them in today's lesson. He talks of two brothers in his parable. One who talks the talk, but doesn't walk the walk. And another who says he won't do as asked, but does. The Pharisees were a group of people who wanted to reform and correct the direction the people were going in Israel.
Many people think that today, we are going like the Israelites in the wrong direction. That in our daily life we are forgetting God. We are worrying about all the little things that don't really matter. Who are the Pharisees today? Are they the people who complain loudly about everything going wrong? Well, yes. Are they the people who complain loudly about everything the people who are complaining? Also, yes. All of us have our inner Pharisee. How do we stop ourselves from expressing our inner Pharisee? Some would say that we need to stop announcing that others are sinners or witnessing the truth of Christ's message. St. Paul gives us directions. We should witness to others by our example. We should not hesitate to associate with those non-Christians we think of a sinners. Christians who we feel are straying from the path of righteousness are a different matter entirely.
Finally, remember as we prepare ourselves for the celebrations of Christ's birth, the most important thing is your inner and outer life. The important thing is to set your house in order, make sure you act and speak rightly.
Let us pray:
Jesus, help us to bless the Lord at all times so that praise of Him is ever in our mouths. Help us to exalt the Lord with others.
Remember those "bad" Pharisees we heard about last night? Jesus it talking about them in today's lesson. He talks of two brothers in his parable. One who talks the talk, but doesn't walk the walk. And another who says he won't do as asked, but does. The Pharisees were a group of people who wanted to reform and correct the direction the people were going in Israel.
Many people think that today, we are going like the Israelites in the wrong direction. That in our daily life we are forgetting God. We are worrying about all the little things that don't really matter. Who are the Pharisees today? Are they the people who complain loudly about everything going wrong? Well, yes. Are they the people who complain loudly about everything the people who are complaining? Also, yes. All of us have our inner Pharisee. How do we stop ourselves from expressing our inner Pharisee? Some would say that we need to stop announcing that others are sinners or witnessing the truth of Christ's message. St. Paul gives us directions. We should witness to others by our example. We should not hesitate to associate with those non-Christians we think of a sinners. Christians who we feel are straying from the path of righteousness are a different matter entirely.
Finally, remember as we prepare ourselves for the celebrations of Christ's birth, the most important thing is your inner and outer life. The important thing is to set your house in order, make sure you act and speak rightly.
Let us pray:
Jesus, help us to bless the Lord at all times so that praise of Him is ever in our mouths. Help us to exalt the Lord with others.
posted by Mark at 12/14/2004 04:05:00 PM
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