"And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).
Jesus said this to the Pharisees, "Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,'" (Matthew 9:13).
"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets'" (Matthew 22: 37-40).
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done without neglecting the others" (Matthew 23:23).
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" (James 1:27).
I write these words because I heard news of an old Christian friend who has come to believe that the practice of observing traditional Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter, is wrong. Rather, he believes that Christians should be observing Jewish holidays and observing Sabbaths. It would seem like this kind of people would get a clue--God isn't a legalist. The same God who commanded animal sacrifice in the Old Testament was sickened by it because it was practiced by people with hard and unrepentant hearts. Likewise, I believe, in the New Testament the same God who commanded baptism and the observance of the Lord's Supper is sickened by it when it is observed by people with unrepentant hearts. It would be better that these ordinances not be observed than to be observed with unrepentant hearts!
Christ is not glorified by the legalistic practice of ordinances. Jesus is worshipped through honest submission to His will, acting kindly and rightly toward everyone, especially the helpless and the destitute, in His name.
Why is it that people will say their mantras, rosaries, keep horrendous hours of prayer, tithe even of their garden vegetables, but will not show the love of Christ in their lives? True worship is a simple thing. It consists in humble submission to Jesus Christ. It consists of showing His love to those around us in word and deed. It consists in encouraging and supporting brothers and sisters in Christ so that they remain true to Him.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
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2 comments:
For many weeks I have been disturbed about how much my church hammers tithing. I really didn't know why I was feeling this way, after all it is all Biblical. After reading your post a thought occurred to me. Sometimes we can get too legalistic when we think tithing is all about money - what about taking care of the common man. Taking care of the people in our own communities, in our own church families. Instead we are more concerned about the business of the church instead of the well being of our church family. Maybe my thought was off track of your post, but it is very thought provoking.
BL
the disciples continued to remember Jesus during the Passover and not Easter/Spring Equinox.
You are right that God doesn't accept sacrifices and observances that are done with out a pure heart. Jesus' own words clear this up though "...these you ought to have done WITHOUT neglecting the others" (Matthew 23:23).
Some people want to follow some observances and neglect the weightier things of THE LAW (justice and mercy and faith). And then others say they only think of the weightier things and then "neglect the others (Sabbath, Passover, tithes/offerings, etc)".
But Jesus wants both, with an emphasis on the weightier matters of THE LAW (justice and mercy and faith). This is what HE lived out as an example for us.
((capitalization is only for emphasis, not yelling))
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www.xanga.com/fairybunnyprincess
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