July 6, 2013 Mark 7:1-8, “Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” Almighty God, Loving Father, Origin and Sustainer of Life, our Redeemer, we rise and praise you for this day that wasn’t promised us. We thank you for our salvation through your Son Jesus for it is through your dire and immediate act of salvation that Jesus gave up His life upon the cross and you raised Him from His descent into hell for us – thank you Father. From the very beginning of our relationship with you, you have sought one thing of us – our obedience and faith in you. You sought our worship of you and we turned to human laws and gave those laws godlike authority without once considering or hearing the cry of the righteous. Father we profess you with our lips and we act against that profession even before the echo quiets. We have been given the covenant that you made with Moses and we’ve corrupted that – when Jesus came He emphatically stated that He had not come to abolish that covenant – the law – the Ten Commandments – but to fulfill it. Father please correct our ways for we are willful and disobedient to your covenant with us. Help us Father to regain our relationship with you in righteous and holy living, bathed in the sacrificial love of Jesus. We have many prayer offerings and praises this morning Father many of which will remain unspoken but very real. Hear our prayers for healing for those recovering from surgeries, treatments and rehabilitation; for those who lay near death; for those who grieve and mourn; for those who’ve turned their back on you laying blame at your footstool for their apostasy; for those who have given up; for our leaders who’ve failed our nation to return to a Holy Spirit-inspired leadership; for those who travel; for those who are angry at your holy church; for those who say good is evil and evil is good; for the men and women of the military, police, fire, protective, emergency and medical services both here and abroad – be also with their loved ones as they serve – they have withstood the tests of fire and foe for us. Hear our prayers for the salvation of the world through Jesus Christ for we pray this in His powerful Name. Amen.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 13:45:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015