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Our Christian Gift Is Relationship, Not Ritual
Many Christians today and throughout our history, have missed the true point in their beliefs and practices with what they observe and do in their obligations to our Father in heaven.
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Many Christians today and throughout our history, have missed the true point in their beliefs and practices with what they observe and do in their obligations to our Father in heaven. What I mean by this is, that many of us emphasize on the ritual aspects in the bible as the path that should be taken to grow closer to the Father with, and personally reach heaven by. Many of us put to much emphasis on the many ways of interpretation of the bible’s written word that we stray from the most important two wishes, (commandments) that our Father wants us to do for Him.
Our Father’s first wish for us is that it is that we develop and have a deep, meaningful relationship with Him. His second wish is regarding our treatment and actions towards our fellow man.
In Matthew 22:35-40 (NCV) Jesus was asked by one of the Pharisees that was an expert in the Law of Moses which commandments in the law is the most important. Jesus answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ All the law and the writings of the prophets depend on these two commands.”
A good example from the New Testament that shows our true emphasis should be our relationship with God and our fellow man, and not ritual is Matthew 12:1-7 (NCV) Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on the Sabbath day. His followers were hungry, so they began to pick the grain and eat it. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath day.” Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry? He went into God’s house, and he and those with him ate the holy bread, which was lawful only for priests to eat. And have you not read in the Law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests in the Temple break this law about the Sabbath day? But the priests are not wrong for doing that. I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. The Scripture says, ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.’ You don’t really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong. “So the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”
Yet time and time again throughout our history Christian leaders, clergy, and layman have overlooked or downgraded and strayed from this emphasis as the basis for our Christian beliefs and practices. Mark 7:9 (NCV) “You cleverly ignore the commands of God, so you can follow your own teachings.”
When we as a denomination, church leader or layman, shifts away from these two highest and most important commandments from God, for whatever reason, we then lessen the true meaning of what a Christian should be and practice. We are not truly the Christian that our Father intended us to be, or wants us to be.
Galatians 6:1 (NCV) tells us; “Brothers and sisters, if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again."
I can only pray for God's strength to those who read the above, that they will be enlightened and blessed by these words.
By: Steven E Coffman
Family-eStore.com
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