Daily Gospel Devotional 2013: Picking a fight

Matthew 12:1-8 / Mark 2:23-28 / Luke 6:1-5…

Being a true follower of the true Jesus will get you into true trouble with the religious crowd. You will wind up going against their rigid, self-made standards too often, and they will claim that they are on the right side of God’s Word, and call you into question. It is always so with those who want to bottle the move of God. It is not that we are supposed to violate the ways of God by sinning against ordinances, but that we often violate the ways of man by staying with God’s essence in giving us freedom to follow Him.

Jesus pointed out through the life of the beloved King David (1 Samuel 21:1-6) that we should not get hung up on the literal letter but look to the spiritual substance (2 Corinthians 3:5-6). Jesus noted that there are occasions where the priests had to “break” their own laws (John 7:22-23). Ceremony is superseded by substance (Hosea 6:6). Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and is greater than mere types and shadows, He is the substance (Colossians 2:16-17).

Don’t concern yourself with people who want to fight over the frivolous yet fail to follow along in faith. God desires, not sacrifice to a set of rules, but mercy to men in essence. Following Him in faith means we must examine ourselves to make sure we don’t make our liberty an idol (Romans 14:22-23 / 1 Peter 2:16), but we are also clean as to conscience and through with dead works (Hebrews 9:14, 10:22).

Jesus is Lord of our rest, and we should follow Him and leave the fighting to the self-righteous.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©