Giving: Religiosity

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Matthew 23:13-15 (NKJV)

The Old Testament details Jewish laws, which were both practical and symbolic– including various sacrifices. (Honestly, I didn’t understand them.)

Now I see them as reminders to love God first– since He created EVERYTHING, and quite logically, owns EVERYTHING. In His Great Hands is all that we hold dear– including joy, health, and prosperity.

Nevertheless, throughout both Testaments, God’s top priority remains the same. Notably, the heart! His children must have (and keep) tender hearts: appreciative, humble, and loving hearts; hearts focused on Him and on their neighbors.

When I pause in self-examination (which I don’t do as often as I should), sometimes I detect a RIGID heartbeat:

  • Times when I’m not pausing to hear from God,

  • Times when I’m not stopping to love others,

  • Times when I’m pushing to get something done,

  • Times when I’m focusing on MY to-do’s,

  • Times when I’m NOT giving tender mercies.

I see in me… RELIGIOSITY. But rulish guidelines eclipse God’s main Line: LOVE!

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
Consider two hard, but imperative “gives”:

  1. Give up manmade religiosity. Neither church rules (nor Hollywood lifestyles) will get you where Jesus wants you to go. Both generate hardening of the heart. If you're unsure of your heart’s condition, invite the Healer to examine it, and if it’s stony– to tenderize it!

  2. Give up your self-constructed agendas. (This does NOT mean giving up on your dreams– but maybe your plans of how, where, and when. Procrastination is your enemy.) This DOES mean following the Spirit’s lead, and walking in faith wherever God leads..

NOTE: You can't out-think, out-plan, or out-give God. The Bible is filled with heroes who prayed, worked hard, and waited on their destinies, which happened in the most unlikely ways.

The rise of Shine stars gives proof upon proof.

Giving: Religiosity (Part 4)

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

* Short article on circumcision of the heart: http://www.gotquestions.org/circumcision-of-the-heart.html

Carey Arban