MY LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL
TUESDAY MARCH 8, 2022
DON’T BE LIKE THE PHARISEES
MAIN TEXT: JEREMIAH 3:7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.
MATTHEW 5:20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
In the book of Jeremiah chapter 3 above, we read about pretense. The
people of Judah pretended to return to God, but their hearts remained far from
Him. They called God “Father” but they continued doing all the evil they could
get away with (vs. 4-5). God has made Himself so real and knowable in Christ.
It’s easy to say “yes, He is our Lord and Savior; He died for our sins and
deserves our worship and service”. But it’s not so easy to remember our
commitment to Him when no one is watching how we live.
We are always
smart enough, we think to look good in public and say the right things about
the Lord, when it is in our best interest so to do. But what about our heart
relationship with the Lord? Looking good in the eyes of others is not enough, a
type of “follow what I say and not what I do attitude”. It is an attitude of pretence
or hypocrisy which Christianity condemns entirely.
In Jesus’ days, the Scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites or
pretenders who concentrated on the appearance of
holiness while neglecting heart-holiness (Matthew 23:25). This made them fall-out with Jesus Christ.
As we set our own personal goals and make judgments about people
around us, let us remember that God looks at our hearts, and not only at physical
appearance. If we remain open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and rely on
Him, He will produce in us a lifestyle that will meet with Divine approval.
DON’T PRETEND ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, deal with every nature in me that annoys my Heavenly Father and brings reproach to His kingdom in Jesus name.
BY BISHOP NGOZI DURUEKE (HE REIGNS CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL) To send your testimony, write us: mylivingwaterdevotional@gmail.com.