February 12-14, 2010
Mark 3
Pastor Farrell Lemings
Religious rituals and traditions can stifle and restrict God’s work in our lives - and the Church too. If we are not careful, we can miss a new thing that God may desire because we’re so committed to what or how we “used to do church.”
The religious leaders described in Mark 3 were so hung up on their traditions that they missed Jesus. The Son of God - the Messiah - was in their presence, yet they could not embrace Him. Jesus was doing miracles, bringing hope for the broken and helping the needy, but they could not accept it. They were so wrapped up in their religion that they could not see that the promised Messiah had come.
We read this now and wonder how they could not see that Jesus was the Son of God! It seems so ridiculous, yet we can fall prey to the same challenge.
- What religious tradition or ritual in your life may be blinding you to the new thing God might want to do?
- What structure from your past might limit what God can do within and through you?
Always remember that structure, rituals and religious tradition were created to bring us to God not keep us from Him. I would encourage you to be open to the fresh ways that God might want to reveal Himself to you.
Crabtree, Arkansas native Farrell Lemings is in his 15th year as Grace Covenant’s Lead Pastor.
