November 12, 2014

Traditionalism and Illiteracy

Matthew recorded a discussion that Jesus had with the Pharisees and scribes on the subject of traditions. The Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus about His disciples breaking “the tradition of the elders” by not washing hands before eating bread (Matthew 15:1-2). Jesus responded by questioning them about another tradition in which they neglected to care for their parents in need, but justified themselves by claiming to have given the money that would have helped them to God (Matthew 15:4-5). Jesus said that keeping their tradition caused them to “transgress the commandment of God” (Matthew 15:3). They had “invalidated the word of God for the sake of [their] tradition” (Matthew 15:6).

The Pharisees and scribes were blinded by traditionalism. While there was nothing wrong with their tradition to wash hands before eating bread, their tradition blinded them to the fact that no sin was committed by one not washing his hands. The other tradition that Jesus cited led to a direct violation of God’s law. Yet their tradition blinded them to their sin of failing to honor their father and mother.

Jesus connected their traditionalism with the prophecy of Isaiah:

“You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men’” (Matthew 15:7-9).

If we look at the context of Isaiah’s prophecy, we can see that Jesus likened their traditionalism to illiteracy.
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November 10, 2014

The Root of the Problem (Part 15): We’ve Made It a Habit

The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome

A habit is “a recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition” (The American Heritage Dictionary). Anything can become a habit, even those things which are good.

Sadly, many have developed a habit of sin. They have sinned so often that they now do it without even thinking. This is a very dangerous condition. We cannot repent of sin unless we first see the sin that is in our lives. The occasional sin is easier to see. It stands out to us – not just because it is out of character for us to engage in a certain behavior, but because we have to make the conscious decision to ignore what we know to be right in order to do what is wrong.

Habitual sins are able to hide because we do not think about them. Our decision to commit them is often unconscious. This does not excuse the action. Sin is sin, no matter how much thought we put into it. But when sin becomes a normal part of our routine, not only will our habitual sins continue, but the door will be wide open for other sins to enter into our life.
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November 4, 2014

All Things Work Together for Good

Gears

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

This verse is popular among religious people. It is often used to refer to a wide range things – finding a spouse, obtaining a job, recovering from an illness, receiving some unexpected financial benefit, etc. Are all of these types of things under consideration in this verse or was Paul discussing something specific?
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November 3, 2014

The Root of the Problem (Part 14): Difficult Circumstances

The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome

Excuses are often made for sin on account of the difficult circumstances in one’s life. These excuses may be made by individuals for themselves or by others on their behalf.

  • He stole – but he was poor.
  • He has a drinking problem – but his parents were alcoholics.
  • He committed murder – but he was abused as a child.

These are just a few examples. The list is endless. Sin is regularly excused because of one’s situation. We cannot have this mindset. Sin that is excused later becomes expected and then eventually becomes accepted.
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October 27, 2014

The Root of the Problem (Part 13): Failure to Prioritize

The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome

We live our lives according to what we have determined is important to us. Our actions, relationships, budget, and hobbies are all based upon our priorities. If something is not important to us, we will not make time for it. Things that we believe are important, we will sacrifice time, money, and effort for them.

As our lives quickly fill up with both necessary and unnecessary things, it is important that we have our priorities in order. Jesus tells us the proper focus we are to have:

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Spiritual things must take precedence over everything else. Seeking His kingdom and righteousness first will not only point us in the right direction but will also help keep us from sin.
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October 22, 2014

Qualities of Good Leaders

Moses and Jethro

When Jethro came to visit Moses, he observed how his son-in-law judged the people “from the morning until the evening” with no one to assist him in this enormous task (Exodus 18:13-14). He warned Moses that this arrangement was not good: “You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone” (Exodus 18:18). So Jethro advised Moses to appoint leaders over the people who could help act as judges. But he did not tell Moses to select just anyone – they had to possess certain qualities in order to be good leaders.

“Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens” (Exodus 18:21).

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October 20, 2014

The Root of the Problem (Part 12): Not Filling Our Lives With Good Things

The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome

Something that we all have in common is that we each have the same number of hours in a day. While we often think that we do not have as much time as others, the reality is that we have chosen to fill our lives with those things which take up our time – either as specific activities or as consequences to other choices we have made.

It is important that we fill our lives and our time with appropriate and wholesome exercises and events. Satan takes advantage when we leave room for sin by not filling our lives with good things.
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