FEBRUARY 19, 2020

“The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man, but with God.” 
― Søren Kierkegaard

NUMBERS 1-2

34So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family. (2:34)

MARK 3:1-21

1Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

JOURNAL 

The Pharisees are so consumed with doing "right" and being "right" that they cannot understand who Jesus is and therefore they don't realize that their obsession and knowledge is leading them to kill the very Messiah that they are praying and hoping to receive. How ironic...and yet this is so true of life.

So often the answers and solutions are right in front of me yet I don't see them.  Because so often how things "should" play out are seldom how they actually come about. I've seen this time and time again in my life. Usually it's when I make assumptions and don't really trust God that I later look back and see the ways I missed the mark. To truly trust God is to be WILLING to throw away all preconceived notions. It is to stand with an open mind and an open heart ready and willing to go where he leads. 

It doesn't mean that my ability to think, make judgements, discernments etc is wrong...it just means I have to be open to the reality that things change and that I very well could be wrong. This is hard because often to do so goes against ingrained thoughts and emotions. I have to be willing to step outside of those...let go of my own judgements of life and myself and be open to the reality of a new day, a new moment...ripe with possibilities. 

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

MATTHEW 7:1-5