the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Voice of the Lord
Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on bedrock (Matthew 7:24).
Simon was an Orthodox Jew. He had a Gentile friend, James, who noticed that Simon owned four sets of false teeth.
One day James asked his friend why he had so many sets of false teeth. Surprised by the question, Simon explained, "My friend, as you know, I keep kosher. I have one set of teeth I wear when I eat milk products; I have another set for meat products; and the third set I use for Passover." After a moment of silence, James pressed further, "Well, then, what about the fourth set?" Simon snapped in response, "Is it any of your business if I want to eat a ham and cheese sandwich once in a while?"
Yeshua pointed out the hypocrisy of some Perushim (Pharisees) of his day. They prayed long public prayers and donned exaggerated forms of religious garb, in order to be heard and seen by men. They were more concerned about handwashing than about "mouthwashing." They were satisfied to dishonor their parents by manipulating the practice of dedicating their property to God, thus keeping it from their parents.
It is easy to become part of a spiritual institution and become too busy for God, settling, instead, for a ritualistic, self-serving show of righteousness. In the above Scripture, we are challenged to keep the fire alive in our hearts for the Word of God and service to Yeshua.
...ask God to help me put into practice what I believe.
EK
The Voice of the Lord, Copyright © 1998 by the Lewis and Harriet Lederer Foundation, Inc. Published by Messianic Jewish Publishers, Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved. Used by permission. No part of this article may be reproduced in print or on the web, or transmitted in any form, without the written permission of the publisher.
