Daily Devotional August 4 - Which Side Are you On?

"And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto Him (Jesus) Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yes; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" Matthew 21:15-16

We condemn the way that the chief priests and scribes treated Jesus. We abhor that they marvelled at their own pride, while they spurned Jesus at every opportunity. It kind of sickens us that the same people that Jesus came to be with, not only denied Him His rightful place among them, but they created a plan to kill Jesus. Doesn't it amaze you that the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that Jesus did and they hated Him even more?

We still have some of that kind of thinking going on today. A man or a woman can work diligently for the Lord and do great things for the kingdom, even just be present when God heals the sick, and Christians, (not non-believers) want to spurn them. Christians talk down other Christians who don't do church like they do on Sunday or Saturday or Saturday night, or the Sabbath day or whatever day. Christians are telling other Christians:

• that God doesn't heal today
• that prayer is an allegory
• that you must do this or that to please God
• that you have to give this amount or that amount to get God's blessing
• that you have to do it their way with their instruments, their lighting, their media

Christians are judging other Christians:

• Because they believe a little differently
• Because they worship on the wrong day
• Because they use the wrong kind of pulpit
• Because they use the wrong instruments
• Because their choir is too old
• Because their choir is too young
• Because they keep the children in for the worship
• Because they don't keep the children in for the worship
• Because the preacher wears a tie
• Because the preacher dresses too casual
• Because the preacher let's his kids sing on the praise team
• Because the preacher let's his wife teach
• Because the preacher doesn't let his wife teach
• Because they don't come to service on Wednesday night
• Because they live in a nice home
• Because they don't live in a nice home
• Because they drive a new Mercedes
• Because they drive a junker

No wonder Jesus turned to the babes and sucklings and said, "out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise."

Jesus heard enough trash talk from adults then and He is hearing too much trash talk from adults now. Learn to mind your own business. You are not an expert on so and so, so quit bashing them as if you ever met them or knew anything about them. What's wrong with admiring those who work diligently for Jesus and get something done? What's wrong with the way they do it over there anyway? What's the big deal if someone goes to a different church than you. Neither church has the license to talk down the other. Neither church has cause to defame the other. Your church denomination isn't infallible and neither is the other church down the road. God is infallible.

You should be proud of your church or your denomination, but not at the expense of cutting others down. You don't have to 'get" what they are doing, but you don't have to act like you do it better either. The chief priests and the scribes were sore displeased with the children and the way they were crying out loud to Jesus and Jesus was sore displeased with the chief priests and scribes. Which side do you want to be on?