Fresh from my journal this past week, here’s what I wrote…
REBELLION DRESSED UP AS RELIGION
Maybe this is not true for you, but I know for me, when I think of ‘rebellion’ against God, what comes to mind first and foremost are the more outward-facing and obvious sins. Things like (but not limited to), sexual sin, getting drunk, verbally cussing someone out, etc. Clearly, none of those are great, but if ‘rebellion’ against God is limited to the aforementioned sins, well, I might be walking around in rebellion towards God and not even know it… and I don’t want that.
Case in point… the Pharisees. From all outward appearances, these religious leaders lived lives that were honoring to God, not lives that were in rebellion against God. They prayed. The knew the Scriptures. They practiced outward holiness; that is to say, they did not participate in things that might ‘defile’ themselves or render themselves ‘unclean.’
The Pharisees may not have been well-liked by the people because of how they looked down on the people, but regardless, none of the people would have accused the Pharisees of rebellion against God. That is, until Jesus did.
See that with me in Matthew 12:34…
“You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right?”
Not sure how you’d feel about someone calling you and your friends a ‘brood of snakes’, but I’m guessing you wouldn’t like that. After all, in some ways, Jesus is comparing these ‘religious leaders’ to the snake of all snakes… Satan. And as you know, Satan was the first to rebel against God and now in Matthew 12, Jesus is letting the outwardly appearing religious people know that they look a lot like the first snake.
My journal entries are for me. That is to say, no one; not my wife, not my kids, nor my friends read my journal. What I journal is for me and me alone so that I do not forget what the LORD is talking to me about.
For the past 18-weeks, I’ve been sharing with you ‘snippets’ of my journal to hopefully encourage you to establish a ‘similar’ rhythm of remembering what the LORD is seeking to get your attention on. If it’s not journaling, that’s ok, but it’s got to be something.
Here’s why I remind you of that… ‘rebellion dressed up as religion’ was written by me for me. In other words, when I wrote that in my journal, it was because the LORD was ‘convicting’ me of the many faces of rebellion. Yes, there is an ‘outward’ rebellion that is much more obvious to the ones around us, but there is also a less visible rebellion that might go unnoticed by those around us but is very visible to the LORD.
Bible reading.
Prayer.
Fasting.
Journaling.
All good and important ‘spiritual disciplines’ in the life of any disciple of Jesus, but to be as clear as I can with this, ALL of those disciplines can be done in rebellion against God. Sounds crazy I know, but here’s what I mean by that. If we are doing any or all of those spiritual disciplines in order to get something from God or to impress God (or those around us) with how ‘spiritual’ we are, that is ‘rebellion dressed up as religion.’
Maybe to say this more simply, MOTIVES MATTER. If the ultimate motive is all about me; looking good to God or others, then even good things quickly become sinful things.
Heavy thought I know, but this is the beauty and reality of journaling. God will reveal to you the places He wants you to grow and for me this past week, the LORD did not want me to miss that rebellion is often dressed up as religion, or in my case, religious activities.
Thanks for the gift of being able to share with you each week in these devotionals what the LORD is teaching me! Grateful to be on this amazing journey with you all!
