Exodus 8, Luke 11, Job 25 and 26, and I Corinthians 12

I was really struck by the hard to see inner sins that are discussed in both Luke 11 and I Corinthians 12. Sometimes as Christians we love to focus in on the "flashy" external sins of others, which is strange when we take the time to see that Jesus railed most powerfully against the hidden inner sins of God followers.

Luke 11 - Jesus confronts the religious leaders of his day on their inner sin issues. They go through the "process" of worshipping God, but do not let that worship touch their hearts. They tithe religiously and go to the temple and discuss the Torah, but then they ignore the needy and act unmercifully. That doesn't make sense, because people who are truly connected to God should be the first to act out of compassion...they should be living out God's character in their communities. They were doing evil in the eyes of Jesus by robotically following rules instead of passionately following God. And this is something that is still very prevalent in the Church...going through the motions of Christianity while operating inwardly in an anti-Christian manner. That is sin...plain and simple.

I Corinthians 12 - In this passage, Paul shows us what pride can do to the Church. Everyone has different gifts and those gifts are given to Christ-followers by the Holy Spirit of God (I hope you spend time thinking about how God has gifted you, so that you can use those gifts to effectively serve the Kingdom). If you look jealously at the things that others do...if you find yourself playing the comparison game - wondering why you can't have the gifts that others do...then you are denying the validity of the unique gifts that God has given you. That's wrong. On the flip side, if you look arrogantly down on others because they are not gifted in the ways that you are...if you cast judgment on people who cannot do what you do...you are pridefully belittling the work of the Spirit in their lives. F.Y.I. - this is also wrong! Go back and read I Corinthians 12:22 again...this is a very powerful verse for me, because it reminds me that the quiet, faithful servants that operate under the radar in the Christian community are often more indispensable than the gifted speakers and worship leaders. Each and every part of this Body matters and has an integral part to play in the growing Body of Christ...don't let jealousy and pride damage the Bride of Jesus-.