Today's Daily Lesson comes from Galatians chapter 3 verses 10 and 11:
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The Law cannot save anyone because no one has ever been obedient to the whole Law. We sometimes act as though we have been obedient, using the Law to condemn others' shortcomings, flaws and differentness; but really if the whole weight of the Law were pressed upon us then who could stand?
It dismays me how blind we are sometimes to our own sins and shortcomings. We give ourselves a pass on all manner of things -- divorce, remarriage, enjoying bacon, washing the car on the Sabbath, wearing cotton and synthetic blend clothing.
Some profess to be fundamentalist, literalist people of faith who believe in and follow the whole Bible. But nobody follows the whole Bible. We all pick and choose. That is a condemnation I sometimes hear: "Well, can we just pick and choose what to believe and obey?" And my answer is that it's not a matter of whether or not we can or can't -- we do. And until we're honest about that then we'll always see the splinter in our neighbor's eye and miss the log in our own.
Jesus said, "In the same way you judge others you also shall be judged." I take that to mean that if we hold our neighbor up to the full measure of the Law then we subject ourselves to its weight also. "And cursed is he who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." On the other hand, if we measure out grace then grace will be measured out for us also.
"And the measure that we give shall be the measure that we get."
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