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I find the Pharisees to be an interesting group from the Bible. Likely because of Christ's comments on the way they lived their lives. He often deemed them hypocrites and used their practices to warn believers how not to behave.
And so, their mention in Luke 11:42 caught my attention. Jesus said, “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important thing (NLT). How ironic that although these men were faithful tithers, they neither loved the Lord nor upheld justice. As a result, their 'works,' good and scriptural as they may have been, were a waste.
How many of us are like the Pharisees? Do we give God His tithes and offerings out of habit, without actually loving Him? Oddly enough, there are many 'Christians' who don't even like God, and this truth comes out when they face pressure. How many of us see nothing wrong in perverting justice for our benefit while putting others at a disadvantage? Are we standing for those who are unfairly treated by society? We often forget that just because the world does things a certain way, it doesn't mean we believers should.
Sadly, plenty of us Christians say we love God but fail to show love to others. In many cases, we don't even realize that this, loving others, is a key way to show Him our love. To be fair, many were conditioned to think that showing love is a disadvantage. Still, a Christian, and certainly not a born-again believer, can't claim to be a lover of God while failing to live a life that displays the love of Christ to others in word and deed.
Jesus pointed out that ignoring justice is also a failure to honor God. The Pharisees were sure to seek justice where their interests were concerned. However, they ignored the plight of those outside their community. We modern Christians have to beware of this. So many of us are hyper-focused on how well we're doing with little care for those who don't belong to our 'faction' - those we don't share a common racial, religious, or political sentiment with. This is certainly not godly.
We can't continue to normalize this. When God instructed people to act justly in Micah 6:8, He wasn't saying we should only do so for those we care about or identify with. After all, God shows love, mercy, and kindness to those who do not love Him (Matthew 5:25). We are called to do the same. Let us remember that Paul highlighted to the Corinthian church that all our spiritual gifts will mean nothing if they do not operate in conjunction with love (1 Corinthians 13).
God said He loves justice and hates robbery and wrongdoing (Isaiah 61:8). Do we? Or do we justify injustice, theft, and wickedness for those we deem deserving? Have we forgotten that God alone is the judge over all, and our role is to love mercy and be His humble children (Micah 6:8)? Yes, being a Christian isn't easy. We are called to meet a standard that others don't even consider. But the Lord knows this and is committed to helping us. We can trust Him.
Today presents an opportunity for self-reflection and to measure ourselves by God's expectations. We have the blessed privilege to change our ways and please God not just with our lips but with our very lives. God desires we take His hand, then walk righteously through the earth and into heaven when the time comes. He sent Jesus to teach and show us how to be Christians who live for Him. By His grace, we will do better, and we will not fail to love God and uphold justice, IJMN Amen.
As you await fellowship at Noon EST, consider reading the Altar Call below and the following previous P&P messages:
