John 7 has an account of Jesus responding to criticism from the Jewish leaders who said it was wrong of him to heal a man on the Sabbath day. The Jews had religious laws that no work was allowed on the Sabbath day, which originated with the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Jesus tells them in John 7:24, “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” I believe he was telling them that they were misinterpreting the point of the commandment. God gave them the rules, or commandments, but they had to interpret them and put them in practice.

We too must interpret God’s direction as provided to us in the Bible. This requires us to actively use the mind God gave us to “look below the surface,” as Jesus tells us. I like the description of “checking our premises.” Our premises are our assumptions and pre-conceived ideas that we all have and use to interpret things around us.

We need to take some time to ask ourselves where the authority for those pre-conceived ideas came from. If we look beneath the surface and find that our premises do not conform to the two “greatest commandments” from Matthew 22, “love God, and love our neighbor” then we may need to change our thinking.

Dear Lord, we all struggle with the conflict between our wants and pride and your will. Help us regularly check our premises so we can judge correctly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A few years ago a bald eagle moved into my neighborhood. I usually see it once or twice a month flying along the coast of the lake nearby my home. One morning, driving along the shore, the eagle flew along the shoreline about 50 feet above the lake right along the path I was driving, for almost 5 minutes. I was amazed that it did not flap its wings for the entire time. It soared effortlessly, like it could continue for hours.

In a familiar verse, Isaiah uses this beautiful image of the eagles’ flight to describe what our lives can be like when we put our trust in God. He writes in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Dear Lord, your power is unmeasurable to us, but you provide it to those who trust in you. Help us remember to come to you for strength, endurance, and renewal. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is an old saying we have all heard that goes, “we cannot see the forest for the trees,” meaning we are so wrapped up in all the details (the trees) that we cannot see the bigger situation (the forest) which is the important part.

In Jesus’ time, the Jewish leaders were regularly attempting to trick Jesus into breaking the old Jewish laws. They would use all the technical rules in the Old Testament to demonstrate their own superiority, and critique Jesus’ activities. They were too wrapped up in the details of their rules to see the important point of the rules.

Jesus tells them in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!”

I think we can fall into this trap as well. We can get so tied up in how we need to act, and what rules we need to follow in order to be “good enough” for God, that we miss the big picture. The big picture is God gave us Jesus, and Jesus did all the detail work for us.

Dear Lord, amidst all our religious activities, help us remember not to miss the important part which is Jesus and what he did for us. In His name we pray. Amen.

I believe many of the things we do that we know are wrong are the result of us giving in to temptation. Many of these temptations are put in our minds by the Devil. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

One of these temptations is acting out of rage, anger and revenge. It is so easy for us to wish for revenge, and terrible consequences for those who do wrong to us or to others, but that is the temptation we need to overcome.

Paul tells us also in Romans 12:19 “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.”

Our solution to evil, is given in Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Dear Lord, Thank you that we can leave our anger and desire for revenge to you, knowing you will address all injustice with your omnipotent wisdom and unlimited power. Give us the strength to face evil, not with rage, but with good. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

As a child, do you remember asking for the “secret password” when your sibling or parent knocked on the door to come into your room, or watching children’s shows and the characters had a “clubhouse” that they would require a secret password to be allowed in?

That is in some ways how I read Psalm 100:4, speaking about God, it says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.”

The secret password for gaining entry into God’s gates and court are thanks and praise. Before our prayers and petitions are allowed in God’s presence, we need to give him thanks and praise.

Dear Lord, we come to you with our thanks for giving us our savior Jesus Christ and for the important things in our lives, our families, friends, our health. We recognize all that we have is just on loan from you. We praise you for your awesome power and love for us. Help us remember to come to you with our thanks and praise first. In Jesus’ name. Amen.