Today, I want to share a simple truth with you that I believe can revolutionize your life if you’d hear it.
During my personal Bible study on the book of Matthew, I came across a passage in Matthew 9 which was one of the several confrontations Our Lord Jesus had with the Pharisees ( the teachers of the Law).
This time around Jesus was dining with sinners. The Message Translation used the phrase ‘disreputable characters’ in place of sinners while The Living Bible uses ‘notorious swindlers’. In short, society frowned on those people.
The Pharisees as expected queried this act of Jesus. As I read this, I knew that at the core, I would have sided with the Pharisees and queried Jesus. Maybe I would have justified my stance with “Blessed is the man…who does not sit in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1).
Our Lord Jesus has this way of flinging the gates of our hearts wide open to reveal our innermost beliefs; and He does that with just a Word.
Jesus referred them to a prophecy in the book of Hosea which says “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” I didn’t quite grasp what this meant but I knew it was powerful. So from further study, comparing scriptures here and there, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I got some insight.
I now know that it was a conflict of desire- what comes first. Jesus who is the visible image of the invisible God placed mercy before sacrifice, or religion if you may. The Pharisees on the other hand placed sacrifice, or religion first.
The desire of God is made clear to us in the person of Jesus. The book of Hebrews also emphasizes this in the eighth chapter when it says “…they shall all know me from the least to the greatest.”
God is more interested in us knowing Him personally on a heart to heart level more than anything else. In fact this is how Jesus defines eternal life (which is a free gift to all who believe in Christ), “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3.
God isn’t hoping to give you more religious observances. He wants to give you something more – Himself.
Thus how you see God matters a great deal. You shouldn’t hide behind religious observances such as prayer, going to church, and giving while you still harbor hard thoughts about God.
For the record, I’m not speaking against prayer, going to church and giving. I do all these and they are wonderful. But how you see God matters even more than all these.
Do you see Him as your Abba Father who loves you unconditionally? Someone you can confidently approach at all times? Or do you see Him as the cause of your misery? Someone with an unquenchable wrath who you must appease to escape destruction?
The real goal of salvation is relationship and the engine of any relationship is knowledge. Just like Moses, if a voice thundered to you that ‘I will destroy all these Israelites’, will you be able to say, ‘this is not you LORD, repent of this evil?’ Moses could dare to say that because he knew the God whom he worshipped. He knew God beyond the acts, He knew God’s ways; and He’s even an Old Testament saint. We in the New Testament have a more advantageous covenant.
I’ll end it here for today. Sorry for leaving you halfway through the journey. I hope you’ll use the time to think on what I just shared. I’ll soon be back to walk you to the end. I’ll appreciate your likes and comments- it brings a lot of comfort to any writer. You can also share this article with family and friends. Till we meet again…
Restpiration 