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By John | November 11, 2009
From the Word: Innocent lawbreakers (from Matthew 12:1 - 21)
”Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.” (Matthew 12:5-6, NASB)
Boy, if I am not basing my understanding on Your point of view, this can certainly be confusing! Apart from grace and forgiveness and mercy, blind obedience to the law is the result. What I really like about this is the common sense approach – common sense lawbreaking.
What is my basis for deciding whether or not a law is a burden rather than a help? When a law no longer helps people but is a burden and a detriment to their well-being, then I need to take a step back and process the intent of the law from Your perspective, Lord. Is blind obedience to a set of rules what You want? Of course not! This is where I need Your Holy Spirit to guide me in my conscience, so that in a case like this I can ‘break the law’ with confidence and a clear conscience! But how careful I need to be not to rationalize away the benefit of the law or base my decisions on what is more convenient for me. My experience has actually been that more often than not the right thing to do is usually the more difficult or costly thing to do. What is the law’s intent? Spare me, Lord, from overstepping Your intent here, and help me fully embrace the basis of Your explanation – mercy and compassion over sacrifice (Matthew 12:7; Hosea 6:6). Another paradoxical example of the merging of grace and truth.
O for wisdom from You, Lord! For understanding! Without Your Holy Spirit I will invariably take one side of this issue or the other to the wrong conclusion. No wonder Your men were confused from time to time and didn’t get it! This ought to keep me humble. When I think I’ve got it figured out, that’s when You pull out a situation like this!
Will I walk with You and follow You closely enough so as to comprehend what is going on and be able to base my decisions on Your priorities rather than my own? I want to walk in humility today yoked to You and be free to respond to Your leading, especially as it takes me outside my normal way of doing things and my comfort zone. To trust You in this kind of thing, that’s what I need to do, Lord. Amen.
Please pray with us:
This week at Nav headquarters in Colorado, our military division is selecting the national leadership that will oversee our military ministries for the next several years. Having ministered in the military environment myself for 25+ years, I know most of these men well as friends and colabored alongside some of them. It is quite encouraging to me to see the list of names under consideration or already selected, knowing their godliness and commitment to Christ and to the Great Commission. Please pray with me that God would guide in the selection of the right people for each of the roles that still need to be filled, and for wisdom for them and for those already selected. Thanks.
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Topics: In the Word and Prayer |