Be careful to not allow your worship or service within the local church to become ritualistic and cold. If so, you’ve already taken your first steps toward living a hypocritical life.
Mk 7:6-13 Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
LESSON - Notice the steps downward:
1. We lay aside God's Word (v. 8)
2. We reject the Word (v. 9)
3. We rob the Word of any power in our lives
(v. 13)
We must remember that the Lord is not as impressed with us as we are in ourselves because he sees our sinful hearts and motives. Take time every day to be real with God. You’ll find in doing so that you are also being real with yourself.
~Mike