The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
Commentary:
We as the people of this time claim to be close to God. But really we are just going through the motions. We slip into routine patterns when we worship and we neglect to give God our love and devotion. If we are to be people of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we must be obedient and worship him honestly and sincerely. We cannot be like the people of Judah, who sought advice from everyone but God.
When we are driven by fear, we tend to search everywhere for comfort, advice, and relief, hoping to find an easy way out of our troubles. God is the answer. When we have problems, it is good to seek help, but we must never bypass God. God’s purpose in judging us is not vengeance, but purging. He wants to correct us and bring us back to him. God does not punish us for our sins just to make us suffer, but to make those who are faithful better equipped for a faithful service. When you are building anything you need a firm base.
Do not honor God with only your lips, honor him by living a life that shows the love you have for him. Be that light that burns bright with compassion for your fellow human. Pray to God with all your strength and focus the Holy Spirit has given you. Pray for forgiveness, pray for understanding, and pray for thanksgiving.