Thoughts From the Bible

  Luke 12: 1-4-   Jesus says in verses 2 and 3, "(2) For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. (3) Therefore, whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  Jesus is challenging the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He is wanting this great crowd He was teaching to understand how important it is to be forthright in private as well as in public. Jesus knows the nature of people and that truth will surface and show the true intents of people. Our lives can be complicated, and it can be hard for us to not be hypocritical in some ways in our lives. That is why we need to challenge ourselves and live by the Christian principles Jesus taught. We need to work to be consistent in examining what we say and what we do and make sure those things are in concert with each other. Proverbs 14: 22- Do they not go astray who devise evil? B...

Luke 6: 41-"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?"  When it comes to personal responsibility, this is a very telling sentence from Jesus. This directly addresses hypocrisy and is instructive to how we should be examining ourselves. Daily life can be very complicated but, as Christians, we are responsible to live our lives as true as we can.  We need to routinely examine how we live our lives and not condemn others for their behavior when we may have a much bigger problem in our own lives. This is why we need to be very careful in our criticism and negative comments about other people and their actions. We need to constantly examine our behaviors and our motives so we can present our lives as true as humanly possible.    Proverbs 12:15- The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.  

Read Mark 7:1 - 8-   The religious leaders and the people who followed them had traditions they followed that they wrapped with the opinion this was how to honor God.  This became so entrenched in their society more emphasis was placed on the tradition than on the principles of God.  Verses 6, 7 and 8 say,  ‘And He said to them, “Well did Isaiah  prophesy  of you hypocrites, as it is written, “’This  people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”’   We  have to  be careful to not allow things we think are good to do  supersede  God’s princip les.  Jesus is pointing out the religious leaders’ hypocrisy, and we need to be careful to examine our lives and look for those areas where what we do in life may be hypocritical to God’s principles. Th is takes time for us to...

Read Matthew 23: 16-28-   In this section of scripture, Jesus calls out the religious leaders for their hypocr isy. Verses 23 and 24 says this,  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you  tithe  mint and dill and cumin and hav e  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.!”  When in leadership, it is important to not get into a situation where you are saying to those you are leading to do as I say, not as I do. The religious leaders have an eve n greater responsibility than other leaders because their leadership can  impact  the eternal lives of others.  I need to be careful about the decisions I make, the things I do and the things I say so all those things stay in alignment with God’s principles, so I am not guilty of what the scribes and Pharisees were guilty of...

M atthew 23: 1- 4 -   Jesus spends  all  but the last few verses of this chapter  calling out the scribes and Pharisees. He is looking at their behavior and the intent of their hearts.  In verses  1 through  4 ,  Jesus does not mince any words, ‘ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’s seat, so do and  observe  whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie  up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.’   For  me  the key sentence says,  “For they preach, but do not practice.”  As we grow and learn God’s principles, we learn  what to say and how to live those principles.  Actually  practicing those principles in our daily lives, consistently over time, is what really shows the intent of our hearts...

Read Matthew 18: 23- 35-   Sometimes I think it would be good to put a  plaque  on a wall to commem orate  all  the things God has done for me. I think this would provide something  tangible  for me to see to remind me of  all  the  great things  God has done for me. Forgiveness is not  tangible,  but it is a matter of the heart. God has promised He  will forgive us of our sins if we ask Him for forgiveness.  We need to constantly remind ourselves of how gracious God is to us so we can share that level of graciousness with others.  Jesus said this in verses 33, 34, and  35,   “ And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So  also,  my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not  forgive  your brother from your heart.”   Forgiveness is o...

Matthew 7: 3- 5- How quick are we to criticize other people? In our day and time, that is a full-time activity for some people.  So many people are ready to give advice to those they think have messed up their lives or the lives of other people around them. Jesus cautioned us to not be so quick to criticize for a very good reason. In verses 3 through 5, Jesus says, “ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Jesus wants us to be sensitive to how we are living our own lives, and He wants us to be sensitive to our own issues. If we are working with the help of the Holy Spirit to be better in our lives and correct or own issues, we will not be so quick to jump on the criti...

Read  John 8:1-8-   This section of the Bible is not found in early Greek manuscripts,  so this section is not always seen as part of the Bible. I am including it since it is included in the New Living Bible, and I see it as another example of a Godly principle.  The Jewish leaders are still after Jesus.   They do not realize how everything is on Jesus’ time and not their time.   The Jewish leaders are attempting to trap Jesus but, seeing that is impossible, Jesus uses the opportunity to show them the principle of compassion.   We may not agree with the actions of the woman caught in adultery but what do we do with that? Jesus showed us.   The Jewish law said the woman should be stoned.   Jesus told them to go ahead and do. Verse 7, “They kept demanding an answer, so He stood up again and said, ‘Alright, stone her.   But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!’” That basically eliminated everyone, and they knew it. ...

Read  John 7: 20-24 -  We need to be very careful about our hypocrisy.   We all have places in our lives where we have hypocrisy, and we don’t fully recognize it.   Jesus showed the Jewish leaders just how big their hypocrisy was, and He did it so everyone would be able to see the difference.   Not only did Jesus confront their hypocrisy, but He also showed them how their legalism concerning the Sabbath was misplaced.   Helping someone else in great need was more important than a set of “dos and don’ts” created by man.    There are those who will want to stretch this whole idea of defying legalism to boundaries they want to create for themselves to accommodate their life choices.   God is the one setting the boundaries, not man.   We need to keep that in mind when we are looking for ways to justify our sins or abominations.