Jesus Is With People On The Other Side Of The Line | Wednesday
Week 1 | The Rules That Break You
Listen instead of reading
Take a Moment
Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today
Read The Daily
“Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet” (Luke 7:44-45)
One big issue with trying to earn your way to heaven by following a bunch of rules is that it turns faith into an exclusive club. Instead of being about everyone finding their way, it becomes a prize for the few who manage to dodge every temptation. In Luke 7, there’s a story that shows how this kind of thinking creates barriers. The Pharisees, who were all about following the rules, only invited people who kept God’s commandments to their dinner parties (Luke 7:39). Letting someone with a messy past get too close would mess up their perfect image. But Jesus saw right through this. He knew that when you’re focused on keeping people out, you miss your own flaws. It’s easy to forget you need forgiveness when you and your crew are all about doing everything “right.”
The Pharisee was so busy keeping his space clean that he didn’t even notice the basic courtesies he skipped. Jesus pointed out the difference between someone who gets grace vs. someone who thinks they deserve it. As it was said Sunday,
“Grace Means More To Those Who Get It”
The best way to avoid this trap of exclusivity is to realize we’re all in the same boat when it comes to falling short. It might look different for each of us, but none of us can earn our way by just following rules. When we start drawing lines to separate ourselves from others, we end up moving away from what Jesus is all about. As Reverend Hugh L. Hollowell puts it, “Every time we use religion to draw a line that keeps people out, Jesus is with the people on the other side of that line.”
Do you find yourself hanging out only with people who follow the rules? Do you pick friends based on how “Christian” they seem? Is it possible you’ve created a circle where the people Jesus would hang out with aren’t welcome? Let’s open our hearts to everyone, recognizing we’re all in need of grace. Let’s not forget our own need for forgiveness and the salvation that comes through Christ alone. Jesus said, “‘I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent’” (Luke 5:32).
Prayer for the Day
God what are you showing me? What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.
Read The New Testament In A Year
4 x 6 Plan | Read: Acts 2:29-47 & 2 Peter 2:1-11