The “Shees” of the Question
To do what is right and just is
more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. (Proverbs 21:3)
OK – you
have to be a Brazilian to understand the title of this colorful Portuguese
saying; but it gets to the point of this verse. The literal translation of ‘Xis’ da Questão is to say “the X of
a question,” or the main point of a matter.
I bring
this up because I see an alarming number of people, Christ-followers included,
who defend their behavior with an “ends justifying the means” sense of logic.
It doesn’t matter how I act or what I say if the eventual outcome aligns itself
with a good outcome. Our current Covid-19 crisis has brought this attitude to
the forefront in the lives of political leaders, social media stars, and
ordinary people.
But God is
more concerned about who we are than the outcome of what we do. He is pleased
when we choose to live our lives out of loving obedience, and not for what we other
people might think, or what we might gain.
This theme
rings true throughout the Bible. Consider the truth of the following verses and
allow them to shape the way you live today:
Does the Lord delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey
is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For
rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of
idolatry. (I
Samuel 12:22-23)
With what shall I come before the
Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt
offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand of
rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my
transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you,
O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and
to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:6-8)
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