Conform vs Transform

15 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand:

11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?

17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.                                                 Matthew 15:1-20  


Jesus condemns the Pharasaical outlook for two reasons:

1) They have built up the traditions of men to have equal merit with God's law.  Even, in some cases, to overrule the law and make it void.

2) They have made their concern strictly outward and are concerned mainly with having the appearance of  righteousness, but they have neglected the heart.  Their desire is all to DO correct things, but they have seem to have little to NO desire to seek God Himself, to draw near to Him, to please Him.  Their desire is more to impress their fellow man, to appear to keep the letter of the law, to appear to live every religious principle, and to appear pious to all who see them.  And beyond that, to hold high the standard especially when they see others failing.

I is so very easy to fall into this mindset, and 'religion' encourages us to do so.  First, we are in some ways a lazy lot, so when someone outlines in any form what we shouldn't or should do, we take the easy way out and live by "the code," being quite happy with our "spirituality."  We can live just up to the minimum standard and believe God is quite pleased with us.  If we slip up, we claim God's mercy and understanding.  This makes our lives so much easier in a sense, all we must do is learn "the code," and it doesn't matter whether it is a Scriptural mandate or a man-made obligation, in fact, the man-made commandments often take on greater weight that the Scriptural, i.e. "Thou shalt not smoke" vs "Thou shalt not covet, or "Thou shalt not bring false witness."

It is so easy to learn "the code" and so difficult to push into God Himself and to seek His will.

Building a relationship with anyone takes time.  Spending time with them, sharing your life with them, inviting them in to the intimacy of  your dreams and your longings, really listening to their heart's longings, seeking to understand their ways and their concerns does not happen overnight.  And so it is with seeking to really know God.  It can't be done on a Sunday morning, a quick prayer time, a rushed worship service.  Knowing Him comes as we run after Him, putting aside all the hustle and bustle of our lives, and really listening for Him in His word and by His Holy Spirit.  Not a quick devotional reading, not a predigested passage of Scripture with a short inspirational comment to follow.  But digging into the word with Holy Spirit's leading and looking to find Him there, listening for His voice, beholding His beauty and His love, reaching out to Him in prayer that is more than a list of requests or a ACTS formula.  It takes time and commitment and longing.

As I said, it is so much easier to conform ourselves to Christian "images."  Living up to the religious image is sure to win admiration and applause from our fellows.  But the one who seeks after God Himself and a relationship with God that is heart deep may find himself misunderstood and judged false because he will not always keep the man-made commandments, he will not always "look" saintly.

Our "heart" -- the seat of our desires, our thoughts, and our feelings -- was corrupted by sin and had become utterly wicked.  But after the new birth, as we walk by the Spirit, He can change our hearts.  This too comes by seeking God and allowing the Spirit free access to recreate our hearts, to give us a new heart.  But we must seek Him, not religion, not the outward appearance, which disciplines the outside, cleanses the outside, but doesn't reach inward to the heart.

I just came upon these notes in my journal from way back in 1993, and I am so being reminded that I must let go of my own desires and understandings and strengths and instead seek the Lord Himself and submit to His recreation, which is an inward work that proceeds sometimes unseen.  I spend too much time looking at the outward and waste so much time trying to conform to some "image" of who I think I need to be, but my heart has strayed far from Him over the last few years.

So my goal is,

Give up:

• "images" of what it is to be a mature, consistent, spiritual child of God
• programs for how to get there
• demands of what I want God to do for me and with me and to me
• standards of judgement for whether He is doing it or not
• depending on my strength of will to obey

Instead:

• seek God for Himself alone
• spend time with Him, personally seeking Him, Himself, quieting my heart from all the distractions and the expectations
• submit to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the word of God 
• conviction
• leading
• inspiration
• empowering
• encouraging
• trust God to draw me to Himself and to recreate my heart and life as He sees fit

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