Relationship or Rules?

Matthew 15:1-20

"'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' Jesus called the crowd to him and said, 'Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean.'" (v. 8-11)

After moving to Charlotte, one of the hardest things to accomplish was to find a home church God was calling us to. It took nearly a year to finally find one that we felt comfortable and more important called to. It was important for us to be able to continue growing in our walk with God, especially our children, and also to serve in the church. There was a strong purpose then. How about now? What are the reasons for attending this church? Or has it just simply become a habit?

It is very important that we always examine our walk with the Lord. It can easily become just a habit. This is true with our worship, our prayer life, and even our Quiet Times with the Lord. Is our prayers over our meals the same? If so, then is it really a prayer, or just empty words that fall to the ground. Is our QTs just a ritual we do? Or is special everytime, because we are conversing with the Lord?

Our heavenly Father seeks our hearts... a relationship with Him. He never seeks any rituals to honor Him. It is only to fellowship with Him, and to become more like Him. Let us not fall into the trap of it simply becoming habit forming. Let us praise Him with a renewed mind and spirit!