Luke 11:42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

It’s not that external things don’t matter, but rather that we need to have our priorities straight. Being a stickler about tithing is not a bad thing, but our relationships are even more important. It strikes me that Jesus said justice and love for God. Justice is something we do toward people, and love for God is of course toward Him. I’m reminded of the very famous passage from Micah: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) Just thinking about it, a particular musical arrangement immediately starts playing in my mind and heart! Jesus was clear that He didn’t come to abolish the Law of Moses, (Matthew 5:17) but legalism can’t save anyone. It is simple reality that we aren’t going to do everything right, so we need to get our focus right and let God take care of the rest.

I have always had a distaste for legalism, but at the same time I have had the sense to know that most laws, at least, are for our good. It’s true that the legal code, humanly speaking, is impossibly complicated, because laws very rarely get taken off of the books, and there are far too many that are unreasonably controlling. At the same time, it’s true that common sense is actually pretty uncommon, so the bulk of us need clear guidelines for behavior. That said, I need to stay focused on what Jesus said: treating my neighbor right, and loving Him. By His grace I’ve done fairly well, but that’s only by His grace. I’ve had a “gold” driver’s license for over 30 years, meaning no violations, and I intend to keep it that way! However, I have had some accidents in that interval, so it would be absurd to claim perfection. As Paul said, “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:4) I am not to focus on details of the law, but rather on loving God and loving my neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-40) That’s what this verse says, and I pray to be obedient to it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do pray to relate rightly to the people around me, expressing Your love and grace to them, all based on loving You and allowing Your love to fill and cleanse me. Thank You for the various opportunities You give me to do that. May Your Word through me accomplish everything for which You send it, (Isaiah 55:10-11) so that more and more people may repent and believe for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!