Is it Legal?

....Jesus said to them,"Is it legal to heal on the sabbath?"  Matthew 12:10

Recently I received a fine for speeding.  Yes, a camera caught me doing 55 kph in a 50 kph area.  I usually set the cruise control but obviously I forgot on this particular day.  It's only my second ticket in my 55 years of driving because I know that rules are for the safety of ourselves and others so I am generally a law-abiding person.  But everybody makes mistakes!

When Jesus healed the withered hand on the sabbath he did not make a mistake.  He was making a statement. A statement that he made a number of times which stirred up the religious leaders to such anger that they plotted to kill him.  Why would he deliberately break their laws when he clearly stated elsewhere that he came to fulfil the law? (Matthew 5:17).  He was making a point.  His point was that they had changed lawfulness into legalism.  I heard a preacher say recently that legalism is evil.  I didn't hear the second part of his reasoning because I missed the program but I can see here, in the story of the man with the withered hand, what he probably meant.  Legalism takes pride in rule-keeping, and we see clearly what the result of legalism did.  It persecuted and finally killed Jesus.

God gave the law for our good, for our guidance and the protection of ourselves and others.  It was a law based in love; love for God and love for others (Matthew 22:36-40) .  The priests and the Pharisees had added a multitude of other rules and regulations around God's Law which made it burdensome and it lacked love and compassion. We see that so clearly in this story.

Years ago we got caught up in a very legalistic church for some years.  The worst thing was that we got blinded to the truth of God's grace.  When we left that church we lost every friend we had in that church.  They would have nothing to do with us. That is a fruit of legalism.  We had not left our faith in Jesus, we moved straight into another church, but these people believed a lie that was founded in legalism and control.  I am glad to say that in later years we have happily resumed loving relationship with some who have left that church.

For those who seek to sincerely represent Jesus Christ and his message, the question must not be "Is it legal?" but rather "Is it loving?"  Love doesn't deny or compromise God's truth as we see from Jesus' life', it is not weak and wishy washy but neither is it hard and condemning.  It is vital that the Body of Christ portray the love of Christ correctly because the essence of the One we worship is love.  God IS love.

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, help me to continually examine my heart to ensure that the love of God resides within me and overflows to those who need to know you.  Amen

Prison to Praise

And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember .......  Psalm 77:10 

If you are going through a miserable time wondering if God is there for you, please take time to read the whole of this psalm's 20 verses.  This poor man was having a miserable sleepless night, no doubt rehearsing all his troubles and totally wondering where God was in all of it,  he could not understand why God wasn't answering his prayers, he felt rejected, he wondered whether God would ever answer his prayers again, he asks "Has God slammed the door on compassion?" (Vs 9 NLT)

At this point he made a decision....to remember what God had done in the past.  He remembered his faithfulness, that he is mighty and awesome in power and so on.  I would like to say that this psalm comes to a happy ending but it leaves us in mid air.  In a way that's good because it reminds us that we are left hanging for quite awhile sometimes in our difficulties and it takes more than one night's prayer to see an answer.

What I wanted to look at here is the decision the psalmist made to change his thoughts from fear of God forsaking him and leaving him in his misery, to thoughts of remembering God's faithfulness in the past.  When we do that something changes in us and our fear is replaced with faith and our hopelessness changes to hope.  In 1 Samuel 30:6 we see David in a terrible position surrounded by grief but he made a choice and he "encouraged himself in the Lord".  No doubt he turned his thoughts towards what God had done in the past, what he had promised in his word and through the prophet.  He set his mind on a positive course.

I am not talking about "think nice thoughts, positive thoughts and it will all work out" type of thinking which we hear a lot about today.  I am talking about God-centred, God-honouring thoughts centred in His truth, the Bible, in his character and his faithfulness to his word. These are the kind of thoughts that have a foundation in something of substance, not just an airy fairy hope.

Years ago there were some books written by Merlin Carothers called Prison to Praise and Power in Praise and they gave a powerful message which I remember to this day.  We can get out of our prison of misery by turning our hearts to praise and thanks in affirming that God is faithful and he does hear our cries and we can trust that through our misery he will do a good work in us, (Romans 8:28).

Prayer:  Faithful God, thank you for the reminder that I have a choice to focus on my problems or to remember your faithfulness in times past and stir up my faith to believe you for solutions by encouraging myself in your word.  Amen

Attitude

"...they all complained saying, "Look, this man has gone to eat with a man who is a sinner." Luke 19:7

An item in the news recently was of interest to us as reasonably new residents in NZ.  The Inland Revenue Department is considering making it compulsory to submit a tax return.  That's an interesting concept for we have mainly lived in countries where submitting a tax return was a requirement.  Colin had submitted one last year (which turned out to be to our benefit), and was surprised as how easy it is to do it online.

Anyway.....the point I am getting to is really that tax collectors have generally been unpopoular since early times.  In Palestine in Jesus' time they were doubly unpopular because 1) they were collecting taxes for the Romans who ruled over the land and 2) they were often cheats and took extra for themselves.  Such was Zaccheus, a man not blessed with height, but one who was so eager to see Jesus that he climbed a tree along the roadside to get a better view of him.  Never for a moment did he think that Jesus would see him and his life would be changed that day, but he was a man to whom salvation was on its way.

For those of us who have heard this story since Sunday School days and sung the song about him, we know that Jesus looked up and said, "Come Zaccheus, I'm coming to your house to eat!"  So accustomed as he was to rejection from his fellow man, that acceptance from this controversial man called Jesus took him by surprise and did something to Zaccheaus' heart.  He changed, gave half his money to the poor and committed to repay monies he had wrongfully taken - fourfold!  All the religious people outside could do was complain that Jesus could eat with a sinner.  Their attitude would ensure that they would receive nothing from Jesus.

It is so easy for some of us to have a wrong attitude towards people we don't agree with, especially those who have a reputation for doing the wrong thing.  Yet Jesus' attitude towards Zaccheaus shows us what can happen if we show God's love and acceptance to them.  Let's allow God's grace and unconditional love flow through us to the unlovely.  It may be that God is drawing them to himself and just needs a vessel to use.  Let's see potential for change in everyone and write no one off as beyond help.  God's unconditional love is life-changing.

PRAYER:  Lord, forgive me for the times I have neglected to see potential for good in people.  Help me to tune into your Spirit and allow your unconditional love flow through me to those who you are drawing to yourself.  Amen