April 3 Lenten Devotional "Following the Rules"

OPENING PRAYER. . .Loving God, Creator of all that is, here I am--today in this place that you have given me, with all the senses you have given me. Help me to use them to experience you on a deeper level. May I experience you all around me, open me to know more of your ways and know that your goodness surrounds me. Thank you for this time to be with you and to just listen. Amen

LISTEN. . "I have testimony greater than John's. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me." (John 5:36)

CONSIDER. . .Jesus performed miracles on the Sabbath and thus was accused of violating God's law. His detractors couldn't see past that. It didn't matter that he healed a man who had been ill for 48 years--that was beside the point. Jesus defended himself by claiming his power and authority to work miracles on the Sabbath came from God.

Jesus cannot be limited to acceptable Sabbath behavior. Yet many religious people could not see the gift of God in Jesus--they couldn't get past a broken law. The Sabbath laws were meant to give God honor and worship--to set aside all work in order to see God more clearly.  Instead, the Sabbath laws sometimes blinded people to the healing power of God in Jesus.

SO WHAT. . .We can also become overly caught up in the rules and regulations and miss the spirit of the law.  The greatest rule Jesus gave us is to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  All other laws are second to this Great Commandment. Fear. . .insecurity. . . can bind us to law and keep us from wrestling with the fullness of truth in love.

• Are we missing a gift from God because we are blinded by strict adherence to a law?
• Are we missing a gift from God because we have condemned another and refused to love?
• Who have we written off because he or she is not living as I think that person should?
• Can we allow God to open our eyes to see Jesus' presence in those people?

PRAYER. . . Loving God, give me the grace to follow your will and way. Help me to follow the spirit of your law of love and always give people the benefit of the doubt. Help me to have the courage to wrestle with the facts and the law but to always seek the fullness of truth in love. Amen.