Lying to myself (17 December) | David and Robin Watters

Verses for the day

Micah 6:6-8 What can we bring to the LORD? Should we bring him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Romans 2:29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
Ps 119:29 Keep me from lying to myself; give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.

How much of my Christian life is just ritual? I get up early. I read my Bible portions for the day. I write the verses that stand out to me. I do often pray through those verses and feel God speaking as I do. But, often I read and study for what I can share with others, rather than looking for what God is saying to me.

Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?… No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you…
true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit

God doesn’t want empty ritual. Sacrifices as an outward act and not a reflection of the heart are meaningless to God.
There is a danger in simply following rules without the heart being affected. We can convince ourselves that we are righteous, when our hearts are still far from God. We are “lying to ourselves.”