Closer to God...without man's rules.

"The Lord says:
"These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men." ~ Isaiah 29:13


We get caught up in the rules of our society, within our government, work places, schools, and homes. Our churches have rules, and many Christians believe that if they simply follow the rules of their church, they will be saved in the eyes of the Lord.

Is following the rules of the church enough to please the Lord?

Not according to Isaiah 29:13. The Lord says that we must not only honor Him with our lips and words, but in our hearts. I love to think that I do this....but how do I teach my children to honor the lord, not just in worship at church, but also in their hearts? We take our children to church, and we teach them how to pray. We read our bibles, and read bible stories to the kids. How do we know when we are actually following God's will for us, and not just playing along with the rules taught by men? Not one human knows the answers to these questions. We must rely upon our bibles to tell us what God wants from us.



My prayer:
Dear Lord:
Please help me to know you and honor you in the depths of my heart. I pray that you help me to teach my children how to worship you, not only in the ways taught by the rules of our human church, but in ways that are pleasing to you in our hearts.
Help our family to be centered around you, and your delight, instead of the human things that make us happy. Your happiness is our reward. Please help us to keep sight of your happiness, and help us to focus less on our pleasures.

Lord, please show me the path that leads to your treasures in my heart, so that I may know You more. Help me to teach my children to follow that path as well, Lord, so they may know You and love You.

Going to church is important in our lives, but help us to make more of the human rituals, Lord, so that we may experience your Love for us, not only in the man-made customs and ceremonies, but in our every day lives.

Live in our hearts, Lord, Jesus.

Amen