TODAY'S DAILY READING
I would like to zoom in on: Matthew 15:6-9
Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’[c]”
WARNING!
A RELIGIOUS TRADITION MAY TRIP YOU IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!
Religious people are involved with a certain amount of traditional, ceremonial, and dogmatic behavior. We do it automatically, because when we were children, we were simply told to behave and even think in a prescribed way. But do we really experience Spiritual Growth when we visit a church, do a good deed, pray, believe what others tell us to believe, belong to a belief system, grow beards, meditate, get circumcised, wear turbans, etc?
What's the best attitude towards Spiritual Growth when attempting to approach God?
Sometimes we still hear about the necessity to fear God, followed with the usual biblical quotes. However, this idea must have been taken out of context and is mostly used by people who already fear God because of their own perceptions and a general fear of the unknown. There should be no need to go into any lengthy theological argument or discussion - the first commandment extols the opposite of fear, clearly stating that one should: "Love God with all your heart, mind and soul."
You don't really fear anything you truly love and there is no need for it.
Moreover, since God can only be found within, God and our own Pure Being relate in quality like the drop of water relates to the quality of the lake. In that sense, any fear of God would amount to nothing less than fearing one's own Self.
Instead of fear, the right attitude should rather be one of curiosity - a curiosity that can only be satisfied when the result of its inquiries are found.
If you are doing the same spiritual things over and over each day and or week with the same results most likely you are stuck in a tradition and not a relationship.
Luke 12:34 - "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also."
Most religious people believe that direct knowledge of God can only be gained after death as a reward by following a set of rules.
Jews and Christians call their set of rules the "Commandments", and the rules laid out by other religions are very similar, if not the same.
All major Religions agree in essence, but only when we bother to look deeper for the real meaning. If God, as omnipresent Awareness, is at the Heart of our Soul, then it stands to reason that we stand a better chance of discovering this pure Awareness through an act of pure Concentration than by bothering with religious ceremony and tradition (wearing hats, shaving heads, growing beards, drinking wine, circumcision, etc...)
When we look past ceremonies and symbols, religions are not so different in their Path to God after all.
The first commandment requires Concentration.
Loving God with all our Heart, Mind, and Soul really leaves very little room for any other thoughts. And it is only during these moments of steady tranquillity that God, who is our very own Self at the Center of our Soul, reveals Himself. During such a condition there are no questions like: Did you cut off your finger? or Did you grow a beard?
It is my prayer that this sets you free from any false guilt that others may have placed on you in the church through traditions!
May we repent from allowing ourselves to be gripped by man-made rules, traditions and holier-than-thou-attitudes so that we can pursue God, the Truth of His Word, and walk confidently in the grace that He has freely given to us with all our heart.
Let us therefore continue to strive to bring our consciences into harmony with the mind of Christ and not be bound by the vein traditions of man.
If God did not write it FIRST and you have to follow a book or person that has spruced up the word of God, you are following MAN MADE traditions.
Seek God and see what He reveals.
.
For me personally it involved leaving my church and traditions many years ago.
God will reveal and lead you through relationship and not religion.
Enjoy Jesus and let Jesus shine through your life. Love God; love people.
I want to hear from you.
Are there any traditions that previously had you bound?
How did you break from it?
What has been the greatest hurdle that you have had to overcome with unfounded traditions?
Share so others can grow!
Blessings,
