Journeying With Jesus - 40 Days Lent DevotionalSample

I’ve always read the section about the chief priests buying the potter’s field in passing. Recently, though, the ludicrousness of it struck me. It’s almost laughable just how misguided and skewed the chief priests’ thinking was. 

They didn’t want to put the blood money in the treasury for it was “against the law.” Instead, they used it for a real estate investment. The chief priests are classic examples of what it means to follow the letter of the law, but continue life with an unrelenting hardness of heart.

They were concerned about appearing righteous but didn’t really care about being made righteous. They preferred distraction over contrition.  

Sometimes, we just want to check off all the boxes that make us appear a certain way. We don’t allow God to address the root of the problem or to change us from the inside out. The enemy loves to keep us in this bubble of delusion so we don’t fall on our knees before God.

Bringing It In

In which areas am I simply playing along to the world’s standards and living in misguided self-righteousness? Am I more concerned about how my actions look on the outside or how I can be changed on the inside? 

Lean In

Heavenly Father, Help me take the time to be in your presence and allow your light to shine into my life. Reveal to me areas where I can change by the power of your Holy Spirit. Help me never to hide my sin under layers of distraction, busyness or foolish acts of self-righteousness. Amen