OUR DAILY BREAD : BOTH NEAR AND FAR

[cimi]

August 27
Friday


BOTH NEAR
AND FAR

READ:
Matthew 15:7-20
____________________________________________________________

Turn away my eyes
from looking at
worthless things, and
revive me in Your way.
__Psalm 119:37
____________________________________________________________

Everything was quiet in our yard. While I worked at the patio table, our dog, Maggie, lay nearby in the grass. A slight rustling of dry leaves changed everything. Maggie made her move, and suddenly she was circling a tree, where a woodchuck clung tightly to the trunk.

Maggie came when I called, but I couldn't get her to look at me. Her neck was in a rigidly fixed position. Although she was near me physically, her thoughts and desires were with that woodchuck.

Maggie and the woodchuck remind me of how quickly I become preoccupied with things that take my eyes off Jesus. Old temptations, new responsibilities, or ongoing desires for possessions or pleasure can quickly divert my attention from the One who knows and wants what is best for me.

A similar spiritual condition afflicted the Pharisees (Matt. 15:8-9). They were serving in the temple and instructing others, but their hearts were far from God.

We too can teach and serve at church but be far from God. Even our religious activity becomes meaningless when our focus is not on Jesus. But if we stop being "stiff-necked" (Acts. 7:51), the Lord can turn our eyes away from worthless things and revive our hearts. __Julie Ackerman Link
_____________________________________________________________

````````````````````Some people follow Jesus Christ,``````````````
````````````````````Then obstacles get in their way;```````````````
`````````````````````But if they'll focus on the Lord```````````````
```````````````````They won't be led astray. __Sper``````````````
_____________________________________________________________

When Christ is the center of our life,
all else comes into proper focus.

*************Today's Bible Reading __ Matthew 15:7-20************

7 Hypocrites! Well did
Isaiah prophesy about you,
saying:

8 "These people draw near
to Me with their mouth, and
honor Me with their lips, but
their heart is far from Me.

9 And in vain they worship
Me, teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men."

10 When He had called the
multitude to Himself, He said
to them, "Hear and
understand: 11 Not what goes
into the mouth defiles a man;
but what comes out of the
mouth, this defiles a man."

12 Then His disciples came
and said to Him, "Do You
know that the Pharisees were
offended when they heard
this saying?"

13 But He answered and
said, "Every plant which My
heavenly Father has not
planted will be uprooted.

14 Let them alone. They are
blind leaders of the blind.
And if the blind leads the
blind, both will fall into a
ditch.


15 Then Peter answered and
said to Him, "Explain this
parable to us."

16 So Jesus said,"... 17 Do
you not yet understand that
whatever enters the mouth
goes into the stomach and is
eliminated? 18 But those
things which proceed out of
the mouth come from the
heart, and thy defile a man.

19 For out of the heart
proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false
witness, blasphemies.

20 These are the things which
defile a man, but to eat with
unwashed hands does not
defile a man."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Jesus did not have good things to say about the religiosity of the
religious leaders, especially the Pharisees. Calling them "hypocrites"
seven times in Matthew 23:1-33, He vehemently condemned their
self-righteousness and pretense, warning His disciples not to follow
their example (23:3). __SIM KAY TEE