We all have rules, regulations, commands, guidelines and standards that we are to follow everyday of our lives. Christians know and realize that God’s rules must be obeyed. We should realize that keeping God’s laws does not save us, but they must still be obeyed inwardly as well as outwardly. In Jesus’ time, religious leaders had turned the laws into a confusing mass of rules. Jesus did not speak against the law itself, but against the abuses and excesses to which it had been subjected (John 1:17).
Some people try to earn their way to God by attending church faithfully or doing good deeds, but all they earn for their efforts is frustration and discouragement. We as Christians should let the Holy Spirit turn our eyes away from our own performance and toward Jesus. We should be just as concerned that our attitudes and actions should be worthy of being seen by all. We should let the Holy Spirit free us from sin, “for to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace,” Romans 8:6-7. Living by the Holy Spirit’s power, “This I say then walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh,” Galatians 5:18.
Live as a new person, “that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind’ and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness,” Ephesians 4:22-32. The promise of deliverance that God personally gave to Jeremiah [Jeremiah 39:18] is all that God promises His children today. The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. We must stop leaning to our understanding. Stop putting our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path,” Proverbs 3:5-6.
Become an Intercessory Prayer Partner with Expressions of Faith. You can contact me at P.O. Box 330127, Nashville, Tenn. 37203; or e-mail <w310watson@aol.com> or <watsonwr6@gmail.com>. God bless!
