Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Jesus said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, March 13, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
So many sappy movies end with people realizing what truly matters in life. It’s usually relationships. And all the small things, as opposed to fame or wealth or success (as societally defined). It’s a common trope. Why? Because it’s true.
The sad thing is that many of us don’t really learn this lesson. We get swept up by the belief that we must have security at all costs, and we assign great value to “stuff.” And then we justify ourselves for the things we have, especially when confronted by those who don’t have all that “stuff.” We tell ourselves and anyone who will listen that we earned it ourselves, that no one helped us, that we pulled ourselves up by our boot straps. We blame people for their poverty, their lack of education. We say things like the meme I recently saw that said: “Minimum wage is for minimum skill. You want higher wages, get higher skills,” which, of course, betrays a world of ignorance about minimum wage workers and the societal structures that flat out prevent the obtaining of “higher skills.”
We may justify ourselves in the sight of others, but God knows our hearts.
God of Justice, help me to prize the things that truly matter. Amen.
