In yesterday’s podcast, entitled Weak and Worthless, we saw that in spite of the covenant Israel entered into with God at Mount Sinai, the people became idolators just as Moses prophesied that they would. The law, given by God was good. The Commandments like “do not kill,” “do not steal,” “do not covet,” and especially “don’t worship idols” were good things. The cultural practices and rituals were also good; they were designed to remind Israel that they were distinct from the other nations.
The problem was not the commandments or cultural practices; the problem was the hearts of the people. Just like their pagan neighbors, Israel became idolators. And the reason they became idolators was that they had idolatrous hearts.
This was the issue in Jesus’s day. The Scriptures, along with their interpretation and the many ritual practices of the Jews, had become idols. But Jesus confronted this external focus, pointing instead to the internal workings of the heart - “You have heard it said, but I say to you” was Jesus’s way of saying, “it’s not about external observance, but internal integrity.”
Idolatry is the root sin that gives birth to all others. Anytime we place anything above God, we have committed idolatry. This includes religious practices. I say it often because it needs to be said, our religious practices - reading Scripture, mediation, fasting, prayer, and others are not an end in themselves; they are the means to the end, which is a heart filled with the life and love of Jesus.
One of the reasons I began Church on the Edge is to help call people away from the dangers of institutionalized, culture-bound, and ritual-based Christianity. It’s so easy to substitute “good things” for what God really desires from each of us, and that is hearts filled with the Spirit, love, and grace of His Son, Jesus.
So, continue to seek God’s presence through your devotional practices. They are vital to your spiritual health. But don’t make those practices the end-all of your Christian faith. Instead, trust God to use the practice of spiritual disciplines in your life to make you more like Jesus.
In Christ,
Dan
Check out my podcasts from Church on the Edge and my books on Kindle.