Verse of the Day 1/6

Verse of the Day 1/6

Matthew 5:20

English Standard Version

20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Yesterday we considered how we are called to be salt and light, continuing the theme of "doing good". Again, this is not something done on our own, we depend on God's Word and obey the Spirit's promptings, all of this by God's grace.  The Pharisees were great at "following the rules" depending on external obedience, but their hearts were not in tune, they were relying on their own works in a prideful way and looked down on those who did not meet their standards.

Righteousness, right standing before God, comes from Him and nothing of our own, it comes by God's grace through faith.  It is a matter of the heart.

Oswald Chambers writes, "The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in motive because he has been made good by the supernatural grace of God. The only thing that exceeds right doing is right being. Jesus Christ came to put into any man who would let Him a new heredity which would exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus says — "If you are My disciple you must be right not only in your living, but in your motives, in your dreams, in the recesses of your mind." You must be so pure in your motives that God Almighty can see nothing to censure. "

Read the short passage below.  The Pharisees motives and their goals or dreams were not in the right place.  But what is important here is tol look inwardly at our own hearts.  What are our motives, dreams and what are our inner thoughs?  When was the last time we explored the recesses of our minds, our hearts?

I'll close with an old hymn that shows the kind of "righteousness" that exceeds that of the Pharisees.  May it be ours.

Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2	Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee, Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3	Take my voice, and let me sing Always, only, for my King; Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee, Filled with messages from Thee.
4	Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shalt choose, Every power as Thou shalt choose

Blessings,

Mike

Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

Matthew 5:17-20

English Standard Version

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.