WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery’ (Galatians 5:1). Think about and thank God for the freedom that you have today. Bending the rules It really annoys me when people don’t queue and then get on the train first. Yet I also like to bend every rule I can! The Pharisees weren’t overly impressed by the disciples laissez-faire approach to the book of rules (v 5). And Jesus wasn’t overly impressed that the Pharisees weren’t modelling in their spirits what they said in their words. Losing the message Good intentions and tradition were obscuring the real point of worshipping God (v 8). They were losing the message by being obsessive about the detailed rules (v 13). This is not to say that church tradition is wrong. There’s some great stuff in old mainstream churches as well as in brand new communities. Both risk losing the message within rigid rules or rigid freedom. Live it out We are called to live out our faith in every aspect of our lives as another chapter in God’s big story. We all have a part to play. Where do you get too caught up in talking about rules and need to live out the story more? Have you been a Pharisee to someone else and need to ask them, and God, for forgiveness? Respond: Meditate: ‘And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8). http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-08-01