Critical Eyes

Bible Says: Mark 2:23-24 (ERV)

      On the Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields. Jesus' followers were walking with him. The followers picked some grain {to eat}. The Pharisees saw this and said to Jesus, "Why are your followers doing that? It is against the {Jewish} law to do that on the Sabbath day." 

 

KEY THOUGHT:
      There are some who watch others who are committed to Christ only to find fault in them. Critical sniping at Jesus' followers --"nit-picky-ness" as I call it -- is not a virtue. Jesus condemns judging others' hearts on the basis of traditions and from a harsh spirit, looking to catch them in minor points of law. The way we judge others is then the standard of judgment used on us. As Christians, we
have been liberated from law keeping; let's also liberate ourselves from a harsh, judgmental, and nit-picky spirit. May the spirit that made some of the Pharisees so harsh not be found among us!

 

TODAY'S PRAYER:
      Holy God, forgive me and help me leave behind a critical, harsh spirit of judgment. Teach me to be gracious and never let my faith get lost in Pharisaism. In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

For the Benefit of People

Bible Says:  Mark 2:25-27 (ERV)  

      Jesus answered, "You have read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry and needed food. It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into God's house and ate the bread that was offered to God. And the law {of Moses} says that only priests can eat that bread. David also gave some of the bread to those people with him." Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, "The Sabbath day was made to help people. People were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day."

 

KEY THOUGHT:
      Did God need a day to be honored or did his human creations need a day to rest? Well, God doesn't "need" anything. It seems clear that the Sabbath was a day to remember and recognize the  lessings and providence God has placed into the Israelites' lives. At the same time, we human creatures need to rest. Without rest, we make ourselves vulnerable to temptation due to fatigue and exhaustion. Without rest, we can cause damage to our own physical health. Most of all, without rest, we are tempted to forget the one from whom we've received all of our many blessings. Then we feel that everything depends upon just us and this feeling puts more pressure on us to perform. God gave the Sabbath as a gift to his human creations. So God didn't make the Sabbath for himself, but for people to have a day to rest from labor, to remember that God provides them every good and perfect gift, and to renew their bodies and their spirits. While many don't keep the literal
Sabbath (the seventh day, or Saturday) as a religious observance, we would do well to remember this Sabbath principal as the rhythm of God's universe and take time to rest, remember, and refresh.

 

PRAYER:
      Forgive me, dear Father, for trying to cram too much into my short days. I confess that I am sometimes overly anxious to do too many things. I am honestly seeking your help so that I can live a  more balanced and holy life. Help me as I seek to find time of rest that you have created for me and my spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. In Jesus' name. Amen.