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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, April 17, 2020
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Law and the Spirit Bible Verse :Romans 11:7-10 "What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” (Deuteronomy 29:4, Isaiah 29:10.) And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” [Psalm 69:22-23] " Message:
Everyone knows the difference between following the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law”. We see a lot of examples, under such terms as “bending the rules”, “creative accounting”, “playing games”, “finding loopholes” — the list is a long one.
Here is one of a million possible examples: In 2005, WalMart wanted to build a 100,000 square-foot store in Dunkirk, Maryland. But the local laws restricted the size of stores to a maximum of 75,000 square feet. So WalMart decided to build two stores adjoining one another, each of them less than 75,000 feet. (They abandoned the plan due to public outrage.)
This dichotomy, between someone who seeks to follow the spirit of a law, and someone who seeks to bend the spirit of the law while complying with the letter of the law, is how Paul characterizes the Jews who were deaf to Christ’s message. (In fact, it is where the expression “spirit of the law” originates.) The Pharisees insisted on following the letter of Mosaic law; but as David put it, the law had become a stumbling block for them, rather than a road to God.
Jesus heals a blind man
Christ himself pointed out the foolishness of trying to become righteous by rote obedience to the law. Most notably, he infuriated the Jewish authorities by healing the sick on the Sabbath. The letter of the law, as interpreted by the Pharisees, prohibits working on the Sabbath (the fourth commandment). But Jesus showed them that the true path to God lay in the spirit of the law, and the spirit of the law would require one to help his fellow man or woman, even on the Sabbath:
Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” (Luke 6:9.)
So the Jews who lived in the spirit were able to accept the good news of Christ; but others — those with “eyes that would not see, and ears that would not hear” — were empty of the spirit. They could see only the law itself; and so they were lost.
God wants more than our formal compliance with an established ritual. Not that there is anything wrong with ritual worship, which can be very meaningful and helpful — but only if our heart is in it. For it is our heart that He wants. First and foremost, Christ wants faith and love. For if our hearts are with Christ, our actions will follow.
Meditation : Prayer : The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant; Make me perfect in every good work to do your will, working in me that which is well pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.....Amen |
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