What is a Pharisee? A Pharisee is a person who takes their religion very seriously. They are a person who follows the rules and regulations to a T. Pharisee’s often looked down on people because they weren’t following the law as closely as they would. What was once maybe a relationship with God or a genuine passion slowly turns into a list of do’s and don’ts.
So why would I compare myself with a Pharisee?
Well it all started when a few of my teammates and I decided to do a 3 fast. No one forced us, we thought that it would be a great way to give 10% of our month to the Lord like my good friend Ted and his brother do, and to remind ourselves to hunger more for God.
Two days in, I felt fine. Yeah I was hungry but it wasn’t too bad. As I was lying in bed I felt the Lord ask me two questions.
-
Have you read your bible at all since you started fasting?
- Nope
-
Have you prayed since you started your fast?
- Ummmm nope
0/2
I realized that I depend on myself too much. I don’t trust God as much as I thought I did. I put way too much dependence in myself. What that does, is turns you into a Pharisee. My relationship with the Lord had become less of a relationship and more of a list what I laws.
I started reading Isaiah 19, which is not my favorite book in the bible but I figured “why not”. I read to about chapter 27 and found myself getting board. I saw that I had underlined something in chapter 29 and decided to read until I got there, and when I did, that’s when things started to change.
I got to verse 13 and the underlined verse said “These people come to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men”. I was blown away on how true that rang for me in my life and I was so thankful that God pointed that out to me. So I began to go on to the next chapter and got about 3 verses in when I had finally had enough of Isaiah and decided I wanted more Jesus. So I turned to the book of Mathew.
Our team is reading through Mathew together so I thought I would just pick up at chapter 7 where we left off a couple days before. In chapter 7 it’s the time of when Jesus’ disciples were eating bread and the Pharisees were asking why they were eating it in a non-ceremonial way. Jesus looks at them and then says this.
“Isaiah was right about you when he prophesized about you hypocrites; as it is written: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men”.
Ok God I see what you’re doing here. Holy cow Jesus was really rocking my world, so I did what any Christian would typically do… I started journaling about it. As I wrote how I realized all that God was teaching me I noticed one more thing. I wasn’t reading Mathew at all, I was reading Mark 7. What?!!?
God took me to a whole different book in the bible without me noticing and brought me to that chapter to really drive his point home. I sat back in my chair and I smiled as I thanked God.
So now I know, now I know that depend on myself too much, or should I say that used to depend on myself too much. I putting my dependence in the Lord and I’m going to continue to trust that he knows what’s best for me.
A relationship with God is far more rewarding and full than a list of do’s and don’ts.
I pick option number 1.
