Today's Readings: New Testament -
Matthew 14:22-36
Hebrews 7:1-10
Old Testament -
Proverbs 23:19-35
Isaiah 29-30
Click on Text Links to Read Online
Focus Verses: Isaiah 29:13-14
13 The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. 14 Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."
Insight:
It is all too easy to be religious, to observe rituals and keep traditions, and yet have a heart that is far from God. False religion can result from spurious ideas, impure motives, duplicity, half-heartedness, legalism, and superstition. True religion and meaningful ritual flow out of a genuine love and reverence for God, humility, a sound understanding of Scripture, and the desire to honor and obey God.
Response & Action:
Because I want my faith and my religion to be more than words, and my religious acts to be rooted in truth and genuine submission to God, I will look to Jesus, the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit to guide me into truth. I will be careful to not let my religious practices slip into empty lip service and meaningless repetition. I will cultivate a heart for God and do all I can to draw near to him.
Open my mouth, O God, and my lips will declare your praise. Help me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Teach me true religion that honors you. Help me to worship you in spirit and in truth. Help me to live my life in full surrender to you, that every thought, word, and deed might be a spiritual act of worship. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Resources:
The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life
by Louie Giglio
