Practical Priorities!
“At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat, but when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, ‘Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.’
“But He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions; how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?’
“’Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath, and are innocent?
“’But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.’” Matthew 12:1-7
It is naturally easier to ‘major on the minors’ in our lives. It was certainly the way of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus expressed this idea so colourfully when He spoke of ‘straining a gnat and swallowing a camel’ (Matthew 23:24).
Jesus taught throughout the Gospels the embarrassingly obvious: God created man to rule over His creation not to waste time simply battling over rules that minimise the Truth. That activity is both fruitless and fatal.
But we all know how much easier it is to resort to keeping the rules and abiding by the process -- the ‘what should be’.
Instead, we must -- moment-by-moment -- remember that Christ died BECAUSE we can never keep the rules - in thought, word or deed. That is why He had to die for us. He paid the price for each of us -- that we could not pay -- with His sinless sacrifice. He rose again to conquer the emptiness of death, so we can live with Him eternally. And that is the greatest gift of all: Jesus love for you and me!
Take care with love, especially His, from Darlene, who still prays for you each day.
PS: You can also find the devotions on line/ on your mobile phone here: www.weakdaydevotion.com .