Going Through The Motions
Mark 7:7-8
“'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'”
Too often we go through the motions of Christianity. We do what is expected of us because it is what we are supposed to do. Our behaviors reflect the culture of the group of people we associate ourselves with -Christians. We pray because we know we should. We read our Bible because we have a schedule for reading that we do not want to get behind on. We are honest, we don't swear, and we treat others as respectfully as possible. We try to set an example for others by doing the right thing. But are we really living the gospel and making room for God to enter in to our moments of the day? Or, are we sometimes going through the motions without thinking (or loving)?
Matthew West writes in his song, “The Motions,” “...just okay is not enough, Help me fight through the nothingness of life. I don't wanna go through the motions. I don't wanna go one more day, without Your consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, 'What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?'”
Life Application Bible Commentary on Mark 7:7-8 notes that “Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they worshiped God for the wrong reasons. Their worship was not motivated by love, but by a desire to attain profit, to appear holy, and to increase their status.” They fit in with the culture of Christians but Jesus knew the condition of their hearts and exposed it.
In Luke 11:35, Jesus says, “Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.” Fenelon writes about this scripture that often our great spiritual wisdom is really fleshly and worldly behavior. Our spiritual actions have dark motivations. He writes, “Our modesty is often only a composed- and hypocritical-outward appearance designed to observe social conventions and attract praise to ourselves.... and so on.”
I really do love God and try to follow Him. However, much of the time, I am going through the motions of living my faith. Even in reading the Bible - I often read the Bible because it is on my schedule to read it not because I am in awestruck wonder of who He is and deeply long to hear from Him. I sometimes pray because I want to feel like a good person who is accomplishing something for Him (or atleast getting a few brownie points with Him) rather than praying from a longing to be with Him and share His heart.
Paul says in Romans 12:11, “Never be lazy in showing such devotion. Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord.”
In my daily activities, I can get side tracked by trying to “be” my role rather than just being with God. I don't enjoy my day with Him because I am working too hard at getting my Christianity right or paying more attention to my reputation/significance than to His company. Also, I am noticing other people's faults while trying to work on my own virtues. In this I am missing the greatest virtue all together – LOVE.
Too often, I am working to accomplish something outside of loving Him (self-interest).
“For nothing else in all of this world matters. But to live our lives for You and You alone” sings in the background.
“Father in Heaven, Lord may Your name be glorified, Above all others, above all this world, Above everything else in our lives. For nothing else in all of this world matters, But to live our lives for You and You alone. May Your wonders never cease. May Your Spirit never leave. May we ever long to see Your face. And when we've turned from You again, Oh how quickly we forget, May we be reminded of Your grace. May Your Wonders Never Cease.” (May Your Wonders Never Cease, Third Day)
Forgive me Father for going through the motions. You deserve so much more and I long to give it to you. Please help me to serve you as Paul noted, devoted and on fire with the Spirit.
“'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'”
Too often we go through the motions of Christianity. We do what is expected of us because it is what we are supposed to do. Our behaviors reflect the culture of the group of people we associate ourselves with -Christians. We pray because we know we should. We read our Bible because we have a schedule for reading that we do not want to get behind on. We are honest, we don't swear, and we treat others as respectfully as possible. We try to set an example for others by doing the right thing. But are we really living the gospel and making room for God to enter in to our moments of the day? Or, are we sometimes going through the motions without thinking (or loving)?
Matthew West writes in his song, “The Motions,” “...just okay is not enough, Help me fight through the nothingness of life. I don't wanna go through the motions. I don't wanna go one more day, without Your consuming passion inside of me. I don't wanna spend my whole life asking, 'What if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions?'”
Life Application Bible Commentary on Mark 7:7-8 notes that “Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they worshiped God for the wrong reasons. Their worship was not motivated by love, but by a desire to attain profit, to appear holy, and to increase their status.” They fit in with the culture of Christians but Jesus knew the condition of their hearts and exposed it.
In Luke 11:35, Jesus says, “Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.” Fenelon writes about this scripture that often our great spiritual wisdom is really fleshly and worldly behavior. Our spiritual actions have dark motivations. He writes, “Our modesty is often only a composed- and hypocritical-outward appearance designed to observe social conventions and attract praise to ourselves.... and so on.”
I really do love God and try to follow Him. However, much of the time, I am going through the motions of living my faith. Even in reading the Bible - I often read the Bible because it is on my schedule to read it not because I am in awestruck wonder of who He is and deeply long to hear from Him. I sometimes pray because I want to feel like a good person who is accomplishing something for Him (or atleast getting a few brownie points with Him) rather than praying from a longing to be with Him and share His heart.
Paul says in Romans 12:11, “Never be lazy in showing such devotion. Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord.”
In my daily activities, I can get side tracked by trying to “be” my role rather than just being with God. I don't enjoy my day with Him because I am working too hard at getting my Christianity right or paying more attention to my reputation/significance than to His company. Also, I am noticing other people's faults while trying to work on my own virtues. In this I am missing the greatest virtue all together – LOVE.
Too often, I am working to accomplish something outside of loving Him (self-interest).
“For nothing else in all of this world matters. But to live our lives for You and You alone” sings in the background.
“Father in Heaven, Lord may Your name be glorified, Above all others, above all this world, Above everything else in our lives. For nothing else in all of this world matters, But to live our lives for You and You alone. May Your wonders never cease. May Your Spirit never leave. May we ever long to see Your face. And when we've turned from You again, Oh how quickly we forget, May we be reminded of Your grace. May Your Wonders Never Cease.” (May Your Wonders Never Cease, Third Day)
Forgive me Father for going through the motions. You deserve so much more and I long to give it to you. Please help me to serve you as Paul noted, devoted and on fire with the Spirit.
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