Worry About the Camels, Not the Gnats

It's hard to believe how many denominations and independent churches there are today, yet there's only one Bible, one message. It's evident that God has one thing to say to all people, a single plan for our conduct and relationship with Him.

But over the years, because of our pride and narrow-mindedness, we've felt the need to develop a myriad of churches and church groups, even different versions of the Bible, to suit our own strict interpretations of what we believe the Bible says.

I've come to realize that none of us are 100 percent correct. Most of the things we fight over are petty. In Matthew 23:24, Jesus told the Pharisees that they strained out a gnat but swallowed a camel. They had gotten so picky about the little things, it prevented them from dealing with the things that were truly important.

As long as we allow prejudice, hatred and division to continue to have a place in our lives, we'll be powerless to stop it. Only agreement and unity in the love of Christ will bring the power to defeat prejudice. We can defeat hatred by allowing love to overcome our critical, divisive attitudes toward others.

Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, help me to not waste my time worrying about gnats. I realize that I must defeat hatred and prejudice with Your love and be unified with others in the body of Christ.

Matthew 23:19-29

 How blind! For which is greater, the gift on the altar, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? When you swear 'by the altar,' you are swearing by it and by everything on it. And when you swear 'by the Temple,' you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it. And when you swear 'by heaven,' you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne. "How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law -- justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat; then you swallow a camel! "How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy -- full of greed and self-indulgence!  Blind Pharisees! First wash the inside of the cup, and then the outside will become clean, too.  "How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs -- beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity.  You try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. "How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed and decorate the graves of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.Read Matthew 23