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Written by Geoff Wilson
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Jesus was scathing of the Pharisees. Most of Matthew 23 is given over to Jesus’ denunciation of their practices. They were so meticulous, so exacting, but finished up missing what really mattered.
‘You give a tenth of your spices – mint, dill, cumin’
The Pharisees were fastidious about tithing. They refused to eat in anyone’s home for fear the person living there might not have put aside a tenth of every herb, vegetable, fruit, meat, fish, bread or drink, to be used for God’s service.
'But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy, faithfulness’ (v.23)
They majored on minors. Demanding perfection in the smallest areas they had lost sight of the things that really mattered to God.
Christians too easily do the same thing. Jesus challenged the church in Ephesus because they had lost their first love (Revelation 2:4). Our relationship with God is first and foremost a love relationship. Without love it becomes an empty shell. Everything might look right on the outside but the inside is empty.
Get back to loving God. Tell Him everyday over and over that you love Him. As you do you’ll find other things gradually changing. Some things you thought so important will lessen; others you glossed over will now be the real issues.
People will matter more. Everything else will matter less. |
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Written by Geoff Wilson
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The Jews in Jesus’ day did not believe God actively sought after people. God had given Israel His Law and coming to God was equated with following the Law. God didn’t come to people; they came to His Law. Pharisees and Sadducees, the two main Jewish groups of the day, did not allow their members to associate with “sinners,” even to teach them the Law. It was entirely up to the individual to change, and change was measured by their following the Law. The church can be a little too much like that. When we want people to fix themselves up a bit before they turn up on a Sunday, we’re acting like Pharisees.
Against this, Jesus taught that God not only actively sought after people but that He sought after “sinners.” This was foreign to Jewish thinking. In the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son in Luke 15 Jesus drove the point home. “The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost” Jesus said (Luke 19:10). When you and I share what God’s given us with lost people, we’re acting the way Jesus did.
God’s been good to us. He’s blessed us and given us so much. It’s time to give something back. Jesus is looking “to seek and save the lost.” He wants to do it through you and me now. How long has it been since you could honestly say you intentionally looked for a lost soul to share something of God with? |
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Written by Geoff Wilson
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God is going to visit our city in a miraculous and utterly transforming way. Like a master chess player who knows each and every possible move that can be made at any time, God is moving His pieces into position.
We are impatient. We want it done and ready yesterday. But God has infinite patience. He won’t move a moment too soon or a moment too late.
These are days of preparation. These are days when God is sifting our behaviour, separating the wheat from the chaff. Recognising what He’s doing helps us work with Him and not against Him.
Build your devotional life. Time spent praying and reading the Bible is time well spent. Build regularity in these disciplines. Don’t let a day go by without a measure of each.
Look for God’s intervention in any and all the parts of your life. God is already doing far more than you’re aware of.
Become a thankful person. Learn to thank God for the little things. Your whole outlook on life will change for the better.
God is working on your heart more than anything else. Change your heart sand you change your life. Change your life and you change your destiny. |
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Written by Geoff Wilson
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I tell you the truth. Among those born of women there has not been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Matthew 11:11)
John the Baptist was a unique prophet in so many ways, none the least of which was that he was the forerunner to Jesus. John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, to be a herald of Jesus’ ministry and announcer of His messiahship.
But John was the also the last prophet under the old dispensation. With John’s death, God closed the book on a time of almost 1500 years. Through those years God had given His people the Law to unite and identify them as His people, to reveal His righteous character, to hold their sin ‘in check,’ and to reveal the seriousness of sin and the need for sacrifice to atone for sin
So how can he who is least in the kingdom of heaven be greater than John? John lived as the last prophet under a system that looked forward to the Messiah coming. The sacrifices of the Law covered sin but could never guarantee God’s total and final forgiveness. That awaited Jesus going to the Cross as the sacrificial offering for our sin. Jesus’ blood cleanses, washes and purifies us from all sin, now and for forever. This is an extraordinary truth that applies to every Christian, whether they see themselves as weak or strong. Our relationship with Jesus sets us apart from the greatest saint under the old covenant. They looked forward to our day. So the Christian who sees himself as the least in God’s kingdom stands apart and is more blessed than anyone from the old dispensation. Our relationship with Jesus places us under greater grace and blessing than all who have lived before Jesus’ time on earth. |
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