50. Woe to You!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"
Matthew 23:23-24

To where does my heart guide me? And what can be said of the direction therein? Am I so focused on the little things that I "neglect the weightier matters"? Again I ponder the direction of my heart. Have i become calloused to the needs of others? Am i turned off to the true heart of God? The same God whose unfaltering love has pored out justice and mercy on all who have faith in Him. The same God who bore our sins so undeservedly on the cross and took our place, redeeming us from most certain death. Have i tuned out to such matters as these and have, in the process, blinded myself, becoming useless? It is love that ought to guide us, love needs to be the reason for our obedience; Christ the leader, love the means by which He leads. If it is not love for Jesus, pored out on others from grateful hearts as such love was first pored out on us by God Himself, than what is guiding me? If it be any other than it cannot be God. Be careful of legalism, and pointing out the flaws in others. be careful of observing the disobedience or sin nature of those around us. Do not be eager to announce an other's short comings or to be hyper focused on the little things that we again forget the big picture. If we follow the law perfectly and are blameless of fault, but we do not lead others to Christ than our obedience gains nothing. I do not say that there is no need for complete surrender, for there is much need to be sanctified from this world and unto the Lamb of God. But, righteousness is not the end, if it were than it would be better to live in caves. But our righteousness should be on display as light to this world, leading others to the light that has so illuminated our hearts and has brought our souls to life. Jesus must always be the focus of our words, thoughts, and aspirations; carried out in love leading others to the cross. We should be concerned more about the weightier matters with out neglecting the lesser. Be obedient to God and in your obedience pray that He would use you to win souls over to Himself.