Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'
Matthew 23:5-7
OBSERVATION
Here, Jesus talks about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. He says that their source of motivation is pride and recognition. On the outside, they do all the "religious" stuff. They not only do the religious stuff, they excel at the religious stuff. They wore big phylacteries. Phylacteries are a pair of black leather boxes containing scrolls with biblical verses. They were worn to serve as a remembrance of God's deliverance. The same was true of the tassels. Two items that were supposed to remind the Jews of God's deliverance and faithfulness were twisted into objects of pride.
APPLICATION
Like the Jews, how often have I taken something that is intended to draw me closer to God and used it to bring attention to myself. Maybe a prayer, a comment, a message, a blog entry.... Like the Pharisees, I've take religious stuff and used it to build myself up in the eyes of others. At times, I've let the opinion and perception of others cloud my pursuit of God. But, I'm not living my life for others. I'm living my life for God. Or, at least, I want to be. I need to consistently place my focus of God.
OBSERVATION
Here, Jesus talks about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. He says that their source of motivation is pride and recognition. On the outside, they do all the "religious" stuff. They not only do the religious stuff, they excel at the religious stuff. They wore big phylacteries. Phylacteries are a pair of black leather boxes containing scrolls with biblical verses. They were worn to serve as a remembrance of God's deliverance. The same was true of the tassels. Two items that were supposed to remind the Jews of God's deliverance and faithfulness were twisted into objects of pride.
APPLICATION
Like the Jews, how often have I taken something that is intended to draw me closer to God and used it to bring attention to myself. Maybe a prayer, a comment, a message, a blog entry.... Like the Pharisees, I've take religious stuff and used it to build myself up in the eyes of others. At times, I've let the opinion and perception of others cloud my pursuit of God. But, I'm not living my life for others. I'm living my life for God. Or, at least, I want to be. I need to consistently place my focus of God.
PRAYER
Father, forgive me for those times when I have drawn attention to myself rather than to your glory. Help me to live my life solely and wholly for you.
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