Monday, July 18, 2011

Matthew 15:3–8

"Jesus replied, 'And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? For instance, God says, "Honor your father and mother," and "Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death." But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, "Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you." In this way, you say they don't need to honor their parents. And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."'"
 
Jesus was against religion, insofar as it is man-made. We are to obey God, not make up our own rules, no matter how pious. It may sound spiritual to say, "I'll give this money to God rather than use it to care for my parents," but that is not what God commands. At the bottom of it all, it's a matter of where your heart is. Are you living for the Lord and from the heart? Is your heart close to God? God always looks at the heart. Everything is a heart issue.

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