Matthew 23: 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you give a tenth of your mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected and omitted the weightier (more important) matters of the Law--right and justice and mercy and fidelity. These you ought [particularly] to have done, without neglecting the others.”

Why is it that justice, mercy and faithfulness are weightier matters than tithing? Why is it so easy for people to neglect or forget these more important matters? It has always been a question of ease. God told us that he desires obedience above sacrifice. Which is harder for man: to give a tenth of his goods or money to God, or to set aside his own pride, his own sense of right and wrong and forgive someone who has wronged him? We give our money away and it is forgotten. But justice delayed stays with us, eats at us, and confounds us. Justice, tempered with mercy, costs us something…something deep…something personal. Faithfulness to God, to each other, to our promises and to our principles in this world will cost us something far greater than a weekly donation. The Pharisees were skilled in the art of showmanship. They could make the simple look spectacular. They could make mountains out of their molehill faith. But when Christ was among them, they did not seek the truth. When the hand of God set people among them free, they did not seek justice – they did not offer mercy. Will you also, now, neglect the weightier things?

Pray: “Dear Lord, I hate that my natural inclination always seems to be toward what is easy. I allow myself to master those things which have little cost and avoid the more important matters that will place a burden on me, that will cause me to grow but in a way that will be uncomfortable and perhaps at times even painful. Help me to get my heart right, Lord, and seek those things that will be of most value to you – those things that worth bringing before you will be those things that cost me the most. Since I owe you everything, Father, it shouldn’t matter. Today, my Lord, I promise to undertake the weightier things. With Jesus help and in his precious name I offer this – Amen.”