Bible Study & Devotional Day 55
🔴 Humanity Rules
Can we focus on God?
Guiding Scripture: Mark 7:6-8 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
Words to Ponder
- Ritual- done following social custom or standard protocol
- Hypocrisy- the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.
- Apostasy- the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief.
Families pass down traditions according to their culture. Some religious observances are rooted in ritual rather than obedience to God. As we honor our Lord and Savior, we must intentionally seek His guidance. We avoid errors when we follow God and not please people.
Jesus brings awareness, power, understanding, knowledge into our lives as we read the Gospels. The Pharisees and Scribes (Ephesians 4:18) spoke to their ritualistic ideals and not to the reverence of God our Father. Jesus tells us that the sins of the heart lead to abusive practices and defiles people. (Mark 7:14-16) Christ exposed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders.
How do we focus our thoughts on God?
- We give Him our whole heart.
- Worship with pure intention corporately and privately.
- Teach through the love and wisdom Christ gives to His followers.
As you read today’s assigned scriptures, think about your habits. Do they honor God or create a barrier between you and His people?
~Torrie Slaughter
This devotional was submitted by Torrie Slaughter, the founder of Our Given Purpose® in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
🔴 The Bible In A Year Daily Reading Plan
Leviticus 15:1-16:28, Mark 7:1-23, Psalm 40:11-17, Proverbs 10:13-14
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