Your Tradition

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’ then that person need not honor the father. So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’”

Matthew 15:1-9

Are you one who pretends to love God? Do you piously make up a long list of rules that you expect others to obey? Do you rely on traditions to guide you to the “right way?” This might make you look good, but God knows the true you.

The world of pretend continues today. We look like good Christians on the outside because we go to church faithfully, follow the rules legalistically, and use the right words. We say we love Jesus, but our hearts may be far from Him. God wants us to be real.

A false front belies a truth faith.

Our Daily Bread – May 4, 2007