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My commentary says that Jesus issued four warnings in this
chapter “that must be heeded by God’s people today if we are to be faithful
disciples and a fifth warning that should be heeded by a lost world.”
Beware of Hypocrisy: A crowd of thousands was wanting Jesus to
perform miracles. Also, the scribes and
Pharisees were plotting to kill Jesus.
The disciples could be tempted to please either group or both while
fearing what might happen to them. Fear
of man causes hypocrisy – being afraid of what others may say about us or do to
us. We try to impress them to gain their
approval. “We become more concerned
about reputation than character, what people think about us
than what God knows about us.”
Beware of
Covetousness: “Covetousness is an
unquenchable thirst for getting more and more of something we think we need in order to be truly
satisfied … Jesus made it clear that true life does not depend on an abundance
of possessions … We will not make life richer by acquiring more of these things
… Wealth can choke the Word of God, creating snares and temptations and also
give you a false sense of security.
People who are satisfied only with the things that money can buy are in
great danger of losing the things that money cannot buy … Wealth cannot buy back the opportunities we missed
while we were thinking of ourselves and ignoring God and others.”
Father, please keep me ever at guard against hypocrisy and
covetousness in my life. Let me be real
and help me to use what You give me for Your kingdom purposes.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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