Rigidly Religious

Today's Reading: Job 17:8-9 & Acts 26

Scripture:

"And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promises made by God to our fathers." Acts 26:6

Observation:

Reading about the life of Paul prior to his conversion and observing all the things that the religious leaders did to him following him turning his life over to Christ is the ultimate warning against become rigidly religious.

In this passage the religious leaders of the day were persecuting and murdering people for believing that God actually did what His Word said would happen. God gave them the thing that they spent their whole life hoping to receive and they violently rejected it.

Application:

There is nothing my capacity. Whether good or evil, there is no person that I am not fully capable of becoming. As I study this passage I am reminded of three things that will prevent me from missing out on God doing new things in my life.

First, I must remember that it is not enough to study and learn the Bible. I have to apply it. I have to live it. Every idea, every thought, and every teaching should be taken to the Word for examination and evaluation. I have to look for it coming to life in my world and then pursue that new life with all that is within me.

Second, I must remember to stay open to new things. It is so easy to get locked into certain beliefs. As this happens I can become very rigid. As rigidity sets in I began to lose my ability to flex and move with God. Once I lose the ability to move with God I will naturally reach out to prevent others from moving towards Him.

Finally, I must remember to allow God to be God. God defends His name. Ultimately God blesses what He chooses to bless and curses what He chooses to curse. It is not up to me to set people straight or judge the movement of God in their life. The thing that God calls me to do is have a pure pursuit of Him, base my understanding on the teaching of His word, and share His movement in my life with others.

Prayer:

It is definitely in me to be judgmental. I hate that part of me but I am very grateful that You have made me aware of it. It sounds weird but my natural tendency towards arrogance keeps me humble as every prideful impulse reminds me of how much I depend on You to stop me from being an idiot.

I ask that You be gracious to me this week. I have more pressure on me than I am capable of handling. I will make many decisions and the impact of those choices will affect thousands. I pray that You protect me for being afraid of new things. At the same time I ask that You prevent me from being so pliable that move away from the tasks You have called us to finish. Lead me to find the balance between the tensions You have created and choose a direction that leads to Your heart finding joy.