Open Heaven for Today 22 October 2020: [Thursday] – Legalistic Or Christ-Like?
LEGALISTIC OR CHRIST-LIKE? – Thursday October
22nd 2020
Memorise: Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19
Read: Luke 18:9-14 (KJV)
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which
trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and
the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank
thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even
as this publican.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me
a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Bible in one year: John 7-8, Hymn: Sing hymn 12
Message
A Christian is not necessarily someone who
follows a set of religious rules, but rather, someone who has a cordial
relationship with Christ. A Christian behaves like Christ.
Open Heaven 22 October 2020 – Legalistic Or Christ-Like?
Christianity is about Christ who lives in you
and not all about do’s and don’ts. Most people who see Christianity only from
the viewpoint of rules and regulations are hypocrites. The Pharisees and
Sadducees condemned Jesus for healing on a Sabbath. Jesus pointed out their
hypocrisy when He asked if they would not go searching for any of their sheep their
went missing on a Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6).
Open Heaven for Today 22 October 2020: [Thursday] – Legalistic Or Christ-Like?
Rules and regulations are good, but they must
never take the place of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Ghost in you that helps
you live completely holy and not the rules. Adhering to rules does not make a
sinner acceptable to Christ, it is only the willingness to surrender all that
guarantees salvation. Your Christianity should be cantered on Christ’s love for
you, His death, resurrection and promise of eternal life, not some rules to be
followed.
For some people, they give pre-eminence to
rules so they can earn the right to boast and
arrogantly declare their ‘holiness’ forgetting that “ … we are all as an
unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags…” (Isaiah 64:6)
The best thing rules can give you is
self-righteousness. Which can make one to be like the Pharisee who went to the
temple to pray in Luke 18:10-12. However, justification By God can only come
through God’s Spirit in you.
Open Heaven for Today 22 October 2020 Thursday: Prayer Point
Legalistic people care more about how people
see them than how God sees them. they are always looking out for who is
breaking the rules so they can attack and even gossip about them (Luke 18:11).
God does not want you to boast about your holiness because only through His
Spirit can you live holy.
“Not
of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians
2:9
Prayer Point:
The Christian life epitomizes dying to self and being Christ-like in
all we do. Are you really Christ-like?
1 Comments
I needed this. Sir. A long time ago I was in the habit of condemning others as sinners. Then I fell yakata. I learnt the hard way before the Lord restored me. Since then I pray for mercy for all including myself.
ReplyDeletePlease drop a comment. God bless you!