"...did you really fast for Me--for Me? Zechariah 7:4
The above verse is one of those verses that I can't just gloss over, its a stop and ponder verse. The Lord asks the Jewish priests a very penetrating question, that I need to continually ask myself. The priests were fulfilling the letter of the law, as far as offering the proper sacrifices, observing the feasts, and fasting. But the Lord was asking them, are you really doing these things from the heart, or are you doing these things because you are required to? The priests were very similar in Jerusalem during Jesus' time, for He spoke of them as drawing near to God with their lips, but being far away with their hearts. They were doing their jobs as the law required, but there was no heart in it.
Our walk with the Lord can easily slip into a walk of heartless habit, doing religious things, but lacking the life and love that God longs for from us. Why do we read the word, or go to church, or give, or serve in the ministry? If we do any of these out of forced obligation, or empty tradition, then that would seem to place our hearts far from Him. The motivation for all we do ought to be out of love for our God, and a desire to bring Him glory. We need to be guarded, because these hearts of ours can tend to do good things with selfish motives. By nature we might do things for the Lord, but sneak in a little bit of glory and recognition for self. I don't trust my heart, so I think it is a safe practice to invite the Lord to regularly ask that tough question that he posed to the priests of Zechariah's day.....are you really doing this for Me?
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