Duty or Devotion?

Another lesson from Mark 7—you could say that God whacked me over the head with this chapter. I couldn’t leave it and move on. I kept hearing Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for dutifully following their traditions without devotion to following God’s commands.

Jesus quotes Isaiah to describe them:

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules …

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Don't be like the Pharisees

“The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they …

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Share-Your-Story Friday. Rae Ann from TX

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is Godʼs will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. This was one of the first verses I memorized on my journey with Christ. Through this verse and others, God was extending His grace and giving me hope in the midst of my storm I was experiencing. I was living in Chicago at the time and was dealing with the aftermath …

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Martha? or Mary? You Choose

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the …

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Is Memorizing Legalistic?

When I speak to audiences about Scripture memory, the subject of legalism often surfaces during the Q & A time. People want to warn me about getting too legalistic about all this memorizing. While I do understand their concern, it’s obvious they’ve missed my whole motivation.

Legalism, by definition, is the strict observance to man-made rules, regulations and laws, based on the misguided assumption that adhering to this code of conduct is a …

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