Today I want us to look at an interaction between the Pharisees and Jesus in Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus’ words to us in Matthew 7:1-5, and at Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8-10 before we delve into this devotional study together. Matthew 22:34-40 says, “But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
In Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus said, ““Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” And in Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
When I read these passages of Scripture it makes me wonder how anyone can still promote and adhere to any religious, man-made doctrine or how anyone who calls themselves a Christian can still judge others. Or how anyone can still promote religious works as a way to get saved or stay saved. It just doesn’t make sense to me because Jesus Himself told us that the greatest commandment to live by is love and He set an example for us to follow in His interactions with people during His ministry that showed us that we are not to judge people. And yet living by religious, man-made doctrine through self works and a religious, judgmental mindset that does not show love still plagues the Christian community today and they have become an epidemic!
I truly believe man-made religion and judgmental attitudes are the deadliest diseases on earth and they are killing people ever day, even though Jesus gave us the cure through His very own death and resurrection! Think about this for a minute. People in the world and in the body of Christ spend more time, energy, and money trying to cure physical diseases that won’t even exist after Christ comes back and hardly any attention is being given to the deadliest diseases! These diseases have eternal consequences for every man, woman, and child if the anti-venom is not taken and digested! And that anti-venom is LOVE and GRACE!
It is time for the body of Christ to wake up and start living the true Gospel of love and grace or there will be devastating consequences that we will give an account for one day. Jesus Himself said, ““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:15-23)
And what is the Father’s will? His Word is His Will! And His Word spoken out of His own mouth says the greatest commandment in the law is LOVE! It doesn’t say keeping standards of holiness, adhering to man-made doctrine, or anything else. Jesus said it is LOVE! In preparation for tomorrow’s devotion where I will expand on this topic meditate on what Jesus said in John 15:9-17. Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you wisdom and discernment in regards to Jesus’ words and ask Him to open the eyes of your understanding so you can receive them and walk in them.
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.”
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