Five-year old Jemma was not having a good start to her day. Every attempt to arrange the world according to her liking was having the opposite result. Arguing didn't work. Pouting didn't work. Crying didn't work. Finally, her mother reminded her of the Bible verse she had been learning: "Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Ps. 119:11).
Apparently, Jenna had been thinking about this verse, because she was quick to answer: "But Mom, it doesn't say that I won't sin; it says that I might not sin". Her words are all too familiar. I often hear similar arguments in my own mind. There's something very appealing about loopholes, and we look for them wherever there's a command we don't want to obey.
Jesus addressed this problem with religious leaders who thought they had found a loophole in their religious laws (Mark 7:1-13). Instead of honoring their parents with financial or material support, they dedicated all their possessions to God, thereby limiting their use. Although their disobedience was not blatant, Jesus said their behavior was unacceptable. Whenever we start looking for loopholes, we stop being obedient. Even though we make excuses for not obeying God, He still calls it disobedience.
AMEN
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