Good morning, Lord Jesus. Come into my heart and every moment of my day.
"(Jesus) said to them, 'Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching human percepts as doctrines.' You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition'" (Mark 7:6-8).
Uproot and remove all that merely ritual and religion. Give me a passionate desire and uncompromising hunger for authentic relationship with You. May my actions and my heart be genuine expressions of my true faith in my one, true God. May the relationship with you I claim I have when I speak to others be an honest representation of my relationship with you.
If I am wearing a golf shirt and someone comes up to me and says, “So you are a golfer.” I would immediately reply,” no, I am not a golfer, I like to go out and hit a ball once in a while and try to get in a round in once a month, but I am not a golfer. I realize and understand the huge difference between a being a true golfer and a person who occasionally plays a round of golf. The commitment to spending time on the driving range, with a trainer, on the practice green and on the course that is required to be proficient enough at the game to call yourself a golfer. The same is true if I played occasionally in a touch football league, I would not call myself a football player. Or if I played a few times a month in a Saturday morning church basketball league. I would say I like to play basketball, but would not define myself as a basketball player.
Yet if someone saw me with a crucifix around my neck or on a bracelet on my wrist and asked me, Are you a Christian?” I automatically without thought reply, “Yes I am.” As most Christians do. I do not differentiate like I do with everything else in life before I answer if I am truly a Christian, a disciple of Christ. I do not reply if I am someone like the person who plays an occasional round of golf, a person who when it is convenient plays around occasionally with Christianity.
And I guess I can get away with going to church once or twice a month, spend 30 minutes or more reading the Bible the just as often, praying when I am sick or my transmission goes out in my car, and still look that person in the eye and say I am a Christian. But I cannot look them in the eye and say I am a disciple of Jesus. As the verse above states, I “honor you with my mouth” but my heart and my commitment are far away from you. In my heart, just as I know what is required to call myself a Golfer or a Football Player, I understand the level of commitment to time spent in prayer, the Word, and accountability to others, and the deep zeal and love for God and my neighbors that is required to call myself a Christian, a Disciple of Jesus.
My family, As we begin our week I pray that may your lips and your heart both be a genuine expression of your true love, faith and commitment in our one, true God throughout your days. in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
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