Jeremiah 7:1-11 (ESV)

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’

“For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.

“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.

Explanation:

I sit here very sobered by the words we read today in Jeremiah. As we will discover in our look at the book of Malachi, a very similar message was communicated about how irreverently the people of God treated their relationship with God. God says they would claim that the temple of God, a place of worship and God’s presence, was truly the Lord’s temple. Yet their deeds would communicate otherwise. An authentic worship of God would not only convict their hearts, it would motivate them to pursue changing the things that did not honor God. They claimed to have a genuine sanctified (set apart) life that worshiped and followed their God, yet they were not reflecting His loving nature in any way. They would walk in many sinful ways and refused to make amended (corrected) steps to walk once again in the ways of God.

The sobering truth is when I take these words and then apply them to my life, I can instantly see very intensely some similar behaviors and attitudes. Sometimes I have a lack of reverence for God, both in my worship and my deeds. Now that I am a temple of God, a place I desire for His presence to dwell, I must alongside the grace of Christ, dedicate my heart, mind, and strength to submitting to the ways of God. This is a true act of worshiping God with my whole life. Without a doubt, there will be the mercies of my Lord and Savior when I get this wrong, but then the message of God to return once again to Him still stands.

Application:

1. What attitudes and behaviors do you find yourself at times sharing with the people of God in today’s verses?

2. What would a humble, submissive response to this rebuke from God look like in the life of anyone claiming to be in relationship with God?

3. Why does it matter that our worship of God is authentic and not false, as we become a temple of God, a place that is called by God’s name?

Devo Plus:

Read Malachi 2:17-3:5. How is this message similar to what was communicated in today’s reading?

Prayer:

God, I come first seeking Your forgiveness for how I can irreverently treat my relationship with You. You are worthy of all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and at times I do not worship You with these things. I can find myself worshiping so many other things, and not being a place where Your presence can dwell. I desire to be a place that radiates Your presence. Help me to see what things need amending, and strengthen me to walk in Your ways.

Malachi 1:6-14 (NLT)

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name!

“But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’

“You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar.

“Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’

“You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“How I wish one of you would shut the Temple doors so that these worthless sacrifices could not be offered! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will not accept your offerings. But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table. You say, ‘It’s too hard to serve the Lord,’ and you turn up your noses at my commands,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?” asks the Lord.

“Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is feared among the nations!

Explanation:

The whole nation of Judah, including its priests, was corrupt and deceitful in their worship. It’s one thing to cheat God out of what is rightfully His, quite another to plead ignorance that such behavior is wrong. Here we see the main reason why studying scripture and applying God’s truth to our lives is crucial for spiritual growth—God put in writing His expectations for pure worship; none of us can claim we did not know that God gave us His best and expects us to give our best to Him.

“Try giving gifts like that to your governor…” On the other hand, everyone understands that ignorance of tax laws does not exempt us from paying what we owe. The government puts its expectations in writing and it’s our responsibility to comply. The difference here is that Uncle Sam demands payment, while God requires nothing out of compulsion—He loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Giving our best through tithes and offerings is part of our worship, and should come from a heart that gives willingly and thankfully, not grudgingly and miserly. If Jesus says we should tithe and we should do so with the right attitude (Matthew 23:23), then we must check our hearts daily to ensure our worship is acceptable in His sight.

Application:

1. Based on today’s passage, how pleased do you think God is with your attitude toward giving to His Kingdom?

2. When it comes to giving to God’s Kingdom, what does it mean to give Him your best?

3. We are not required to give out of compulsion, so what’s the correlation between how much we give and our heart (attitude) on giving?

Devo Plus:

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Prayer:

In your quiet time with God, ask Him to reveal if your heart toward giving is tainted with reluctance or disobedience to what you know God is calling you to do.

Romans 12: 1-2 (NLT)

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Explanation:

Paul is urging Christians to respond to God’s mercy, His forgiveness of our sin, and His inclusion of us in His family. The appropriate reaction would be offering to Him our entire lives as a form of living, breathing sacrifice. The only rational response to God’s mercy in giving us eternal life is to give Him our lives to use for His kingdom right now. The world tells us to look out for ourselves and to be self-serving. Paul is reminding us that as Christians, we should be transformed in our way of thinking because we are in relationship with a merciful God.

When I read this verse, I instantly thought of giving. This is such a counter-cultural concept. God commands us to give our first ten percent to Him, trusting that He can provide more with the rest of the ninety percent than I could with one hundred percent. This is completely counter-cultural, and when I first heard this, I was like “What?” But when you test God on this, He always comes through. I remember thinking that it sounded a little crazy, but I trusted that this is what God was calling me to do, so I started tithing each week. God came through every single time. During this time, we were just getting by financially, so it was not easy, but each week God changed the way that my husband and I viewed money. We started to view it as God’s money, and God changed our heart to want to be more generous, which led to us giving more than ten percent. This led to us giving to friends in need, which led to us paying for people’s dinner anonymously when we were out on a date.

God’s love for us deeply changed our way of thinking! We also have a more sensitive heart towards the Holy Spirit. We are more aware of His voice because we deeply want to serve our merciful God. This is an on-going process, and sometimes it is easy to get pulled back into what culture is doing. God wants to bless us and wants us to have an abundant life. God wants us to look at life with a new question: What does God want for me? What is a truly good, acceptable, and perfect use of my life for His purpose and not just for my own?

Application:

1. When you read this verse, what behaviors of the world do you think that you may be copying? Write those behaviors down and ask God to change the way you think towards them.

2. Is there an area in your life that God has transformed your thinking in? (For me, it was tithing and generosity.) Take a moment to meditate on where you were, and where God has taken you. Give thanks to God.

3. I think it is hard to not copy the ways of the world when we have social media, TV, and the news in our faces every day. I challenge you to take some time away from one of those things and use that time to spend some time with God.

Devo Plus:

Spend some time in worship. These are a few of my favorite worship songs that remind me of God’s love for me and how merciful He is.

Jesus Paid it All – Passion featuring Kristian Stanfil

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rWXUqF_BFo

Too Good to Not Believe – Cody Carnes and Brandon Lake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH0PmaKxOtA

How He Loves – Kim Walker Smith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP5icHZtbvk

Prayer:

God, thank You for how merciful You are. Thank You for sending Your Son to die on the cross for our sins. Remind us today how much You love us and that You are for us. Help us to not to be conformed to the ways of this world but give us strength to be more like You. Change our way of thinking and give us a godly perspective. Help us to be selfless. We give You all the glory and we wait expectantly on our requests. Amen.

Psalm 51:15-17 (ESV)

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Explanation:

X-ray technology is simply amazing. The fact that we can take a picture of the inside of a human body is beyond cool. The radical advances in medical technology during my lifetime are astounding. However, even with all the advances in technology that we have, all we can see is still just the physical. As I am sure you have discovered, we are not simply just physical beings. Though we might get a visual of the inside of the human body, we still fail to truly see the complete person.

Since we only see man in limited form, we often judge an individual by their physical works. We are quick to categorize a person based on what they can produce. If someone is good at what they do, we may be tempted to esteem and value them above others simply because they demonstrate to us what we see as a worthy contribution. We may even do this with our own selves, based off whether we think we add value to the world around us. A question we may ask ourselves is, “Am I really doing enough?”

We can fall into this same trap at times when we view our relationship with God. We expect God to give us value based off what we produce for Him. This can throw us right into the mode of being focused on the works of our lives, more than the heart that is driving our lives. Unlike humans, God does not lack the ability to see the full person’s heart, mind, body, and soul. We read in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke that Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment was, said that loving Him with our full selves was truly the greatest commandment. This gives us insight that God sees us more profoundly than we or others might see us.

This same truth is conveyed in our reading today. We cannot fool God by going through the motions. God sees the authenticity of our hearts and the whys behind our actions. Trying to please God in an unauthentic way is not pleasing to God. He desires a genuine worship that flows from a humble heart fully aware of our brokenness and the need for God in our lives, not a prideful heart that seeks to earn God’s favor and love.

Application:

1. Why is it important for us to know that God fully sees us?

2. Describe a time when you believed God was more impressed by your physical acts of worship rather than a genuine heart of worship.

3. When we find ourselves trying to please God through our physical acts, what are some steps we can take to get ourselves back to authentic worship of God again?

Devo Plus:

Read Matthew 22:36-38. What do these passages reveal about how clearly God sees every part of us?

Prayer:

God, please forgive me when I make my worship anything other than genuinely worshiping and loving You with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I desire to worship You in this way. Would you soften my heart to see my need for You and in turn help me declare Your praise? I long to glorify You.

Joel 2:12-17 (The Message)

But there’s also this, it’s not too late—

God’s personal Message!—

“Come back to me and really mean it!

Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!”

Change your life, not just your clothes.

Come back to God, your God.

And here’s why: God is kind and merciful.

He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,

This most patient God, extravagant in love,

always ready to cancel catastrophe.

Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now,

maybe he’ll turn around and show pity.

Maybe, when all’s said and done,

there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!

Blow the ram’s horn trumpet in Zion!

Declare a day of repentance, a holy fast day.

Call a public meeting.

Get everyone there. Consecrate the congregation.

Make sure the elders come,

but bring in the children, too, even the nursing babies,

Even men and women on their honeymoon—

interrupt them and get them there.

Between Sanctuary entrance and altar,

let the priests, God’s servants, weep tears of repentance.

Let them intercede: “Have mercy, God, on your people!

Don’t abandon your heritage to contempt.

Don’t let the pagans take over and rule them

and sneer, ‘And so where is this God of theirs?’”

Explanation:

When you are dealing with God… you are never without hope.

In the midst of the most excruciating circumstances, He always offers hope, comfort, wisdom, direction, strength, and power.

BUT if you are in pain because of sinful choices, He offers hope in the form of repentance, followed by cleansing.

To be cleansed is exhilarating! Do you remember that fresh feeling you had when you initially repented and accepted Christ?

True repentance exceeds an “I’m sorry.”

If I steal your lunch, you will need more from me than “sorry.” You will need me to stop stealing your lunch. Repentance is a call to make a radical turn from one way of life to another. That call can crescendo in the form of consequences which, while agonizing, are mercy for your soul if they move you past forgiven to changed!

We love God's comfort when we are feeling bad.

But His judgement makes us flinch when reality dawns that our situation has been caused by our own disobedience. How grievous is it when our response is a stiffened spiritual stare?

What is not repented of

takes us one step closer to becoming a stronghold

instead of a forgiven release.

Like scar tissue that limits healthy functioning wherever it grows, unrepentant hearts become encased, tough, and constrained.

Verse 13 pinpoints our sometimes cavalier approach to repentance. Israel had a custom of tearing their clothes to demonstrate they were in a period of repentance. Joel warns of the folly of the outward show that doesn’t reach the heart and influence lives.

Because conviction is such a tender gift from the Holy Spirit, we must beware of a seared conscience that becomes adept at feeling bad and then moving on. We begin to suffer conviction fatigue when we don’t authentically turn around. Instead, we slide into a life of shame that is lacking the energy that forgiveness grants.

At some point you will realize you are living a cycle of remorse that cocoons you and renders you weak and debilitated because you didn’t repent and accept the power that comes with it.

Sadly, as Joel points out in the last verse, it causes us to reflect our emptiness to the world. They are not easily fooled. It is lives of depth in Jesus that draw people to Jesus, and we only have that if we stay current and fresh in the life-cleansing offer of true repentance.

Application:

1. Are you in a season of denial, or do you have a sobering realization that gut level change needs to take place?

2. Why is remorse so draining?

3. Why is true repentance energizing?

4. Repentance doesn’t mean anything if you keep doing what you are sorry for. What will change your outcome?

Devo Plus:

“Regret is not a proactive feeling. It is situated in disappointment, sorrow, even remorse. It merely wishes things were different without an act to cause a difference. However, repentance is different. Repentance is an admission of, hatred of,

and turning away from sin before God.”

Monica Johnson

Prayer:

This is David’s prayer after he committed adultery. The complete prayer is in Psalm 51.

I have chosen select verses due to space constraints.

It is applicable to any sin you want freedom from.

“For I recognize my rebellion;

it haunts me day and night.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;

I have done what is evil in your sight.

Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Renew a right spirit within me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and make me willing to obey you. “

Matthew 23:23-28 (ESV)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Explanation:

We have a word for someone who acts one way in public and another in private: hypocrite. It is a word commonly used by Jesus when referring to the religious leaders. More than just having inconsistent religious lives, they did not understand God. They thought that because they tithed, because they went to temple, and because they practiced ceremonial cleanliness, they understood the heart of God. Their religious practice blinded them to the reality of their own situation, and Jesus’ complaint was that they were trying to lead people to a place they had not gone themselves. Like the “couch expert” who has never worked on a car but has “watched some YouTube videos” and wants to show you how to fix brakes, the religious leaders were trying to lead people to the heart of God without ever having experienced it themselves. They missed the main point… actually living out of and embodying God’s values.

To be clear, Jesus does not fault them for doing the religious practices; He says they are important. Jesus simply says those are not the purpose, and you can practice them without ever finding the point of doing them: loving like God and living lives that embody His values. I think God would say to us, “You can go to church, do a daily quiet time, tithe, and still miss My heart. But if you are seeking My heart and embodying My values, those other things will be important too.”

Application:

1. Have you ever met someone who seems to talk the talk and yet you know they are just not a nice person? Maybe unloving or rude?

2. How does it strike you when you see that?

3. Are there ways and times when you notice that loving like God becomes less of a priority than doing things for God?

4. Do you estimate “how you are doing with God” based on any other measurement other than how you love?

5. What needs to happen for your perspective to change on that?

Devo Plus:

Meditate on Psalm 82:3, Isaiah 1:17, and Micah 6:8.

Prayer:

God, doing religious practices is a ton easier than loving the person in our lives whose personality rubs us the wrong way. Going to church is far easier than caring for someone who is different than us. It requires us to be uncomfortable, and we aren’t sure what it will cost us to love the way You loved. I pray that You give us what we need to bear Your heart for this world to this world. Help us to walk in righteousness and love. When we fail, forgive us, and help us to seek restoration. Let us not be content to just bear Your name but help us also to bear Your heart. Amen.

Hosea 6:4-6 (NLT)

“O Israel and Judah,

what should I do with you?” asks the LORD.

“For your love vanishes like the morning mist

and disappears like dew in the sunlight.

I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces—

to slaughter you with my words,

with judgments as inescapable as light.

I want you to show love,

not offer sacrifices.

I want you to know me

more than I want burnt offerings.”

Explanation:

God is cutting to the chase in this passage of scripture. Although there are some poetic words used, the message from God is direct:

I don’t know how else to make this clear to you. I don’t want your religious sacrifices without your heart.

God seems like a dad speaking to His children in this passage. God is not being condescending to the Israelites but is passionately explaining what He wants from them. The passage references that the Israelites’ love vanishes quickly. They seek after God for a time, and they know how their behavior should represent God, but those actions cease after a time. God has tried to make this point clear to them, and has sent prophets to reveal truth and help open up the Israelites’ eyes. Yet they didn’t listen.

It must be frustrating being God. I say that kind of jokingly, but there is truth in that statement. God wants the Israelites (and us) to recognize what is truly important in life. While it is important to bring a sacrifice before God, the real change should be a heart that is operating out of love and mercy. A heart of love and mercy reflects the true heart of God. It reveals a heart that is seeking after God and desiring to be close to Him. Going through the motions of “religion” without a true heart change is pointless. This passage so beautifully represents God’s desire for the Israelites and us. He wants His love for us to propel us to know Him more and to live a life of love and mercy.

Application:

1. As stated above, the Israelites love for God seems to vanish quickly. Even though they know the truth of who God is, after a time their actions cease to reflect that truth. Have you ever found yourself in that same cycle?

2. Can you recognize any religious practices you do just “going through the motions?” How can you change those actions to become a reflection of your heart? For example, maybe you go to church each week out of obligation, not really applying the truths you hear to your life. To change that, you can choose to take an action step this week based off the truth you hear this Sunday.

3. Do you feel that God just wants you to “do religious stuff,” and that by doing those things you are seeking after Him? How does this passage show you that God really desires your heart?

4. What action step can you take this week to show that you are seeking after a heart of love and mercy? For example:

• Choose to think the best of someone in your life.

• Choose to say an encouraging word to someone.

• Serve someone this week out of a heart of love.

• Instead of grumbling and complaining about a situation or a person, take that moment to thank God for a specific blessing in your life.

Devo Plus:

Read Romans 12:1-2. Think of some practical things you can do to renew your mind so that you can become more like Christ.

Prayer:

God, thank You for being our Father. Thank You for correcting us when we go astray. I know I need reminders and correction, and I am thankful that You do it in an eye-opening yet loving way. Help us to not just go through the motions of religion, but to have TRUE life change because we are in relationship with You. Please give us the strength that we need to make changes in our life. Amen.

Isaiah 1: 13-20 (NLT)

Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath-- and your special days for fasting—they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Explanation:

I once heard a pastor say that we should worship God in the way that we live. Our worship is more than just songs of praise; it’s about how we live and serve Him every day. Isaiah wanted to communicate that message to the people of Israel. They had become ritualistic, and their worship and sacrifices had no meaning because they weren’t coming from the hearts of the people. When God spoke through the commandments, He commanded us to love our neighbors. The Israelites were disregarding this command, and abusing their neighbors. They had discovered a way of living that was self-focused, and thought that if they occasionally gave a small token, they were still “following the rules.”

Isaiah uses this passage to level-set with the people. They weren’t genuinely worshipping, and they were only serving themselves. They were saved from the wilderness so that they could serve each other as a worship to God. There’s no need for piety or politics: we are all liberated slaves, doomed to eternal death. Our love and service to others demonstrates that liberation and our love for God. When we choose to live our lives as worship to God, it isn’t ritualistic or trivial - it’s something that is meaningful to God, and He will bless us as a result of our worship.

Application:

1. Have you ever found yourself just going through the motions of life and not thinking about what it means? How is that different than living intentionally—with love for your neighbor and service at the forefront?

2. How can you make your worship meaningful today?

Devo Plus:

Reflect on this statement: “Worship is bowing down to give up.” Read the following Scriptures to gain further understanding and define what worship means to you: Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Let’s look at some Hebrew and Greek words that appear in the Bible that we commonly translate as “worship” in English.

In the Old Testament, we have the following Hebrew words:

“Shachah” - Genesis 22:5; means “bow down”

“Minchah” - Genesis 4:3-4; “a gift, offering, tribute or sacrifice.” This word appears about 40 times in the book of Leviticus when describing how to sacrifice and bring offering to God.

In the New Testament, the Greek word:

“Proskyneo”- Matthew 2:2; the wise men told Herod they came to worship/proskyneo the new King

Prayer:

God, today I ask You to forgive me for the times that I am trivial in my worship and service to You. Help me to see that I need to be intentional in my daily life and walk with You, putting Your commandments first. Help my worship to be meaningful to You and not just a token like the Israelites were giving You. Help me to continually see opportunities to show love for others and to better serve You. Thank You for Your grace and forgiveness that sustains me through each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Amos 5:21-27 (ESV)

“I hate, I despise your feasts,

and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,

I will not accept them;

and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,

I will not look upon them.

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

But let justice roll down like waters,

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

Explanation:

Have you ever heard the saying “going to church doesn’t make you a Christian anymore than going to a garage makes you an automobile?” Okay, I know it is pretty cheesy, but there is a lot of truth packed into it and that is the truth we are going to unpack in today’s passage.

The people of Israel so often were so busy going through the motions or looking the part that they missed the mark. They figured that if they took part in and observed the rituals associated with Jewish law that they were covered. This thought, however, is far from the truth and from what God wants. God is not concerned with our religious ceremonies and practices. He is concerned with our hearts, with our obedience, and with the way we conduct our lives. God calls us to walk in obedience, to be purposed in how we treat others and the way we conduct our lives. He wants us to spend time in His word, go to church, and take part in spiritual disciplines, but not so we can simply check it off our list. He wants us to take part in those practices so that they draw us closer to Him. He knows that the more time we spend in His presence, the more we will grow and walk out our lives in obedience. Looking the part is not enough; there has to be a change and action that goes with it.

God wants a truly abandoned heart. God wants us to be people with a heart on fire for Him. A heart and a life that live in complete surrender to God.

Application:

1. Have you ever found yourself going through the motions and doing “religious practices” just because? If so, what was this like for you?

2. Why isn’t God concerned with our “religious feasts and practices?”

3. God is more concerned with our hearts, our character, and our relationship with Him. What do you need to change today to truly surrender and allow God to move and work in your life?

Devo Plus:

I encourage you to take some time today or this week to pray, journal and truly reflect on your life. Here are some questions to help you as you reflect on where you are in your faith journey and walk with God.

1. How is your heart?

2. Which category would you put yourself in:

A. On fire for God (my walk and relationship are growing every day)

B. Somewhere in the middle (I’m not going through the motions, but I could be doing more to grow in my faith and relationship with God)

C. I am going through the motions/looking spiritual but not really growing (similar to the Israelites in the today’s passage)

D. 3. Sit in quiet and pray for 30 minutes. Asking God to lead, guide you and help you grow in whatever area you currently find yourself in. A great way to start is to ask Him to renew your passion for His word, worship, prayer and anything that would help you draw closer to Him.

Prayer:

God, it is so easy to go through the motions. As humans we often get so stuck in the everyday routines that we forget how important our relationship with You truly is. Will You give us a greater passion for You? We don’t want to be people who simply “play the part;” we want to be people who are on fire for You, living out and walking in You every day. Please lead, guide, and challenge us today. Amen.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NKJV)

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Explanation:

I remember growing up in school having a terrible problem with public speaking. I would be so afraid to address the class that the instructor would allow me to turn around and face the wall to give my speeches. It would be so bad at times that I would feel as if I could pass out. It took some time to get over this fear of public speaking, and I was very nervous about it for a while.

What Paul is declaring in the passage above, however, is we do not have to worry about possessing a natural ability for public speaking or having the most wisdom in the room in order to declare to others, with authority, Christ's hand in our lives. We can look to God to provide us the strength to boldly declare His saving grace, the grace He has blessed us through Christ's crucifixion on the cross.

When you come into your relationship with Christ, you know what He has done for your life. You know where you were headed without Him. You know sometimes life gets you down, and sometimes things in this world don't make sense. But when you shut the door to your prayer closet, and you get down on your knees and you pray to the Living God who hears your voice and sees your tears and has the answers, you know mountains are going to move for you. You know situations are going to be influenced by the Holy Spirit. You know He hears you. You know He loves you. And knowing this, you can begin to speak with a new kind of authority that is gifted to you from the Spirit.

Paul didn't rely on eloquence or human wisdom to preach the gospel. He simply depended on the power of God to move on his behalf.

Application:

1. Over the next week, ask God to help you see how the Spirit is moving on your behalf in your life.

2. Invite God into a deeper relationship with you by asking Him to strengthen your trust in Him.

Devo Plus:

This week, try to read Christ's words in red in at least three different chapters in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This will help you understand how the Spirit moved through Christ as He preached the gospel.

Prayer:

God, thank You for the strength You give me to be able to speak Your words with boldness. Thank You for choosing me to advance Your kingdom. Thank You for the authority You have given me over the enemy, and thank You for the breath You give me in order to live for You. Amen.