Sidetracked Service

 An email sent to my sweet girls recently:

Today I read from Matthew chapters 14 through 16. And, as often happens when reading the Scripture, I realized that the portion I was scheduled to read today directly correlated to the passage in Isaiah I read yesterday, and Jesus quotes to the pharisees the same verse I shared with you yesterday.

 Despite miraculous healing and displays of tender compassion for the crowds of lost people, the pharisees came to Jesus and demanded to know why his disciples didn't wash their hands before eating.

Can you imagine? In the face of divine miracles, mercy, and wisdom beyond what they had ever seen or heard--they chose to nit-pick about ceremonial traditions that weren't even part of Scripture. They were so distracted with doing, with serving as they believed was pious, that they missed the heart of the matter completely.

What does Jesus say to them? He points out that they have twisted the Scripture, because they taught that the commandment of God to honor one's father and mother didn't have to be followed if the person made a human "vow" that prevents him from doing so. Thus, a trivial human law trumps the holy and perfect mandate given by God.

Jesus says, "So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "

Jesus says to the people listening to him (which includes you and me): "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a person . . . what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

In the devotional book,"My Utmost for His Highest" (by Oswald Chambers), yesterday's devotional thought was this:

"Beware of anything that competes with loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for him. It is easier to serve . . . [But] we are not sent to battle for God, but to be used by God in his battlings. Are we being more devoted to service than to Jesus Christ?"

Take these thoughts to heart. They are not thoughts you will hear in popular culture, even in Christian culture, because we are surrounded by shallowness that has embraced a counterfeit religion. Go deep, sweet girls. Do not be conned into living something that isn't real to you.

"Service is the overflow of a superabounding devotion." If you serve without the devotion, you will know it is hollow and lacking. If you serve out of joyous passion for the God you know intimately, you will understand the joys of servanthood as few have known.

Soli Deo Gloria!