“It will soon be August again. For about seventy years we have mourned and fasted every August remembering the fall of the great city of Jerusalem. But now that Jerusalem is being rebuilt and the temple is well on its way to being restored, is there any need to do this onerous fasting thing again for the month and then turn around a couple of months later and do it all over again? It’s only 19 kilometers from our place here in Bethel to Jerusalem, so why don’t we send a delegation to Jerusalem and find out if we have to keep on doing it.”
What kind of response was the delegation hoping to hear? Did they expect to get a few pats on the back for their 70 years of fasting and mourning every August and October?
They got a pointed response and one that is still relevant in 2020 when it comes to spiritual machinery working routinely and punctually. God’s view of religious robots has never changed. Even when others can’t tell the difference, and when we have hoodwinked ourselves into believing our rituals are sincere, God can see through it all.
On God’s behalf, the response to the Bethelian delegation started with this:
When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me? Zechariah 7:5
That’s a basic but fundamental question! God values reality – not ritual. In fact, robotic-like ritualism is offensive to God. It’s like a slap to His face – as if He was not wise enough to see through the outward form of religiosity or robotic-like rightness. He knows when it is just cold empty formalism to soothe a conscience or to make it look good.
Too often we do things so we will feel good about what we have done. The Lord can tell the difference between a capable robotic religious machine and a sincere heart of love that produces the energy and exercise behind actions for the Lord.
With some tweaking and occasional calibrations, religious machinery can function at optimal performance for a long time – even 70 years. Spiritually speaking, such a smooth functioning robot can pass the inspection of human eyes but be sure of this: even when the machine is performing impressively in some of its most demanding maneuvers – God is still not impressed. He has always been offended by empty formalism, devoid of spiritual reality.
How real is my spiritual activity? How deep is my enjoyment of Christ? How sincere is my worship? How genuine is my love for His Word?
This may sound shocking, but we can even read and study our Bibles robotically. We can have our desk cluttered with theological dictionaries, Greek lexicons, and commentaries and, with machine-like precision, we can prepare for a Bible study. With machine-like impressiveness we can perform in the local church; but once again, how deeply was I stirred by my study of the Word and how much was my heart warmed and my life changed?
We can go through all the right motions to live up to the expectations of others, or to soothe our own conscience but the Lord is looking at where HE truly ranks in my heart.
“Father, preserve me from becoming a cold spiritual robot. Help me to slam on the brakes when I feel things slipping and ask: “Where is the Lord in all of this?” Even today, Lord, I confess any sense in which I am going through the motions with my heart being unaffected. Rekindle the fire of devotion deep within my heart until my heart throbs with love for Christ.”
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today,
Warmly in Christ
Peter Ramsay
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