40 DAYS in the GOSPEL Sample

WHERE THE REAL PROBLEM IS

I (Josiah) have had times in my life when it seemed like the whole world was notified that I was going to try harder to love my neighbor today. Why do I suspect a conspiracy? Because suddenly one obstacle after another appears in my path to trip me up. My alarm goes off late. Traffic is worse than usual. My kids wake up at war with each other. The post office decides that all I need in my box today is bills. Why won’t the outside world cooperate with my spiritual goals?

Now you may be thinking a lot of things as you read this, like maybe this guy has never heard of the devil or an occasional bad day. Those are good points to keep in mind. But I think the consistent resistance I notice when I am intentional about obeying God may have a deeper cause. I think Jesus shines a light on it in our passage (v 14-23).

Jesus was talking to people who thought they could keep evil at bay by washing their hands and only eating certain foods. In fact, they were so sure of it that they began correcting Jesus and His disciples when they did not see them observing the same sin-proofing procedures. There was a misunderstanding concerning the law of Moses behind this confrontation, but there was also something more common to human nature.

Whenever I have a greedy moment, lose my temper, give in to laziness, or any of the other many ways I fall short, I want so badly to have something outside myself to blame. If I can find something, it helps me keep the illusion alive that if the outside world would just cooperate, I would be a pretty good person. Now this isn't the exact same issue the Pharisees were raising with Jesus. But I believe it has the same heart. And that's why Jesus' words have so much power. His words get to the root of the issue. Our common human desire is to blame our problem with behavior on something out there, instead of addressing the source...our selfish hearts.

This is actually good news! We have very little control over the world out there, but we have a relationship with a God who can change human hearts. The kind of righteousness that Jesus had, and the kind that He is willing to share with us, comes from the heart and gives us the power to honor God in our behavior, no matter what the world around us does.

PRAY ABOUT IT: If there are some areas in your life where you know God is calling you to obedience, decide today to ask Him to change your heart rather than asking Him to change your circumstances.