GOD’S WAYS ARE BETTER THAN MINE

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, we’ve all been  more conscious, I think, of washing our hands well and sanitizing surfaces often.  Being clean is important for our own health as well as for the health of others.

In Jesus’ day the religious leaders had all sorts of washing ceremonies they went through before they ate and performed other religious duties.  While there’s nothing wrong with the washing, Jesus challenged the fact that they decided what they needed to do to be clean before God rather than hearing and following what God had said. 

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. 

Mark 7:6-7

While we are all right to not want to live the kind of hypocritical lives these Pharisees lived, I think it’s important to ask ourselves in what ways we put our own ways of doing things ahead of seeking God for His plan in each of our days and circumstances. 

It’s not about how much effort we put into what we are doing that counts.  It is about getting it right by accepting and following God’s way.  Look at these words.

I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.  

Romans 10:2-3

We think we are so smart and our theology is so tidy.  God is wiser and His ways are way above ours.  We need to humbly seek His way in this day and pray for willingness and grace to actually lay down our own “set in our ways” practices for what God shows us.

Loving God, we so easily can rail on other people about this or that, that we are pretty sure is not the right way of doing things.  It’s too easy to see beyond our own lives and our own customs to the behaviours of others. 

Lord, today we know that any work of change and cleansing needs to begin with ourselves. It’s not even that we belligerently go after our own ways often, but rather that we just get so used to doing something in a particular way that we just don’t bother to check in with You about what Your plan for this day in this time is. 

The longer that goes on the more set in our ways we get and the more we lock other people out.  Forgive us Lord.  Help us to recognize the diversity of Your plans and ideas that match what You and You alone know is going on in particular situations and people. 

And so God, we commit ourselves to taking the time and effort to actually seek You out today and to call on You.  We pray for humility to forsake our own ways and thoughts and to be filled with a willingness and grace to turn to You.  Amen

Well, God’s ways are certainly better than ours.  Let’s find them and walk in them today.  Have a great day.