Man Versus God

Scripture:
"Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." Mark 7:8

Observation:
I have heard it said that Jesus loves the church, but is heart broken over what it has become. I think that there is a lot of truth in that statement. You do not have to spend very much time in church to figure out that man is more about tradition than about following God.

There are a few things on my heart this morning regarding the tradition of man versus the commandment of God.

Application:
The first battle of man's tradition versus God's command is found in Matthew 7:1-5. Tradition of man looks externally for judgment. The command from God is to look inward first. It has often been said that the things we observe in others as being bad are often things about ourselves that we project onto others. That statement carries a lot of weight with me. I must constantly guard against judging. Regardless of what I observe, I must know that the first person who needs to be cleaned up is Jason Hester. He is a mess and there are many things that are not as they should be.

The second battle of the tradition of man versus God's command is found in Matthew 7:7-14. The tradition of man looks for easy answers. The commandment of God is that I pursue truth. God says to ask, seek and knock. Easy answers are wide gates. They are everywhere and many people follow them. I can get up and turn on the TV and find many easy answers to the questions I have or solutions to the things that trouble me. But God's command is different. The truth of God's word says the gate leading to His truth is narrow. That means I have to slow down and pay attention to the answers I get. I also must understand that God's answers are the ones most people are not giving.

The third battle of the tradition of man versus God's command is found in Matthew 7:15-23. The tradition of man focuses on works. The commandment of God focuses on the fruit of a life. Works are easy. I can show up, teach a class, feed the homeless, love on the hurting and many other good things but that does not make me holy. My actions, both good and bad, come second to God. The primary thing that He concerns Himself with is my heart and the fruit of my life. I can fake my works, but not my heart. For instance, I can come home and clean up the house for my wife. That would be considered a good work, but it does not indicate the attitude of my heart while I did it. Maybe I was angry. Maybe I did it out of spite. If I did it with the wrong attitude, it does not benefit anyone.

Prayer:
Storms of life are inevitable. They will come. Relationships will hit hard times. Finances will fail. Eagerness and optimism are constantly attacked by apathy and failure. In those moments, the truth of my life will be revealed. The things in my life that I have built around human tradition and logic are blown away by the storms of life. The only thing left standing are the things in my life that are built on your firm foundation. I ask today that You help me discern the difference between the traditions man created and the commandments You have given.

I also ask that You come alongside me after the storms of life hit and help me to remain calm as I survey the damage. It is easy to get discouraged. There are times I stand with a broken heart as I watch things in my life come unraveled. In those moments I ask that You remind me that it is in those moments that I have the opportunity to start over and rebuild things the right way.

Guide me today as I walk. Keep me from judging others, accepting the easy answer or working with a bad heart. Instead, help me to have a sober opinion of myself, seek the hard answers of truth, and work with a pure heart.