Message: In Luke 6 I wasreading about all
of the miracles Jesus was doing under the constant watch of the religious. They
were waiting for just one little thing he would do to go against the law. Even
if it was a stretch. Jesus was aware of it all and he unapologetically
continued the miracles, but did them creatively at times in order to turn it
into a lesson. They were missing the point of it all because they didn’t
understand that the rules were made to protect and preserve, not to enslave. When
Jesus told them he was the Lord of the Sabbath he was reminding them that without
him there was no sabbath, and without the sabbath there is no need for rules.
Command: Examine my motives for calling out
truth.
Promise: Truth will set people free if its
done with a heart of love and a motive to help someone gain freedom.
Warning: Jealousy is a terrible motive!
Application: Once again as I read this I was
tempted to put myself on the right side of things, but truthfully, we have all
been on the right side of truth, and we have all been like the religious
leaders. They were jealous of his power, and of his freedom. His power and
ability to teach and lead was a threat to them. They had a system where people looked
to them for power and authority, and they were highly honored because of their
position, not their influence. They used the law to control people so when
Jesus came in he threatened the whole system they had built for themselves. He
connected with people, spoke with authority and acted in freedom. Not only
could they not compete, but Jesus was teaching them how to depend on God and
not on the religious leaders. My challenge to myself is to evaluate my own
motives. Am I one who tries to control people by pointing out their wrongs? Or
do I truly care about the welfare of people and desire to help them obey God
for their own sakes? There are times I have literally prayed this and asked God
to show me my own motives. Is my influence a way to gain honor for myself, or
do I honestly have their best interest at heart? If I answer this honestly,
there is probably a lot of both. There are definitely times that I have been
out to prove a point, and there are times when I have privately cried and
prayed for someone who was stumbling. I don’t always recognize my motives right
away. We deceive ourselves better than we deceive anyone else. My challenge to
myself is that I would take time to bring it to God every single time I want to
call out someone else. Check my motives and ask God to reveal anything selfish
and impure.
