You Strain at a Gnat but Swallow a Camel

In Matthew 23:24 Christ is talking and he explains how the Pharisees and the Sadducees would strain at a gnat but swallow a camel.  Dr. Griffin explained that the greek translation actually says that they strain for a gnat, which means that they strained everything they drank with a cloth to make sure that it was clean and didn't have any bugs in it.  They were so hypocritical and focused on the most meticulous laws and commandments, yet failed to keep the highest laws of God such as adultery.

It is easy to look at them and quickly point figures at how twisted their society was and how confused and wicked they were, but the reality is they aren't so different from us.  I think that at times it isn't so blatantly obvious but there are many ways that we do where we live a double standards and do all the right things when people are watching, but behind closed doors have a different set of values.  I am so grateful for a God that is just, and that knows the desires of our hearts.  Something that I am beginning to understand deeply is that it truly doesn't matter what others thing of us because God is the ultimate judge and he knows what is beneath the surface.  He loves us for who we are and who we were created to become.  There is no need to be hypocritical or try to make ourselves look righteous to others God knows the truth.

I am so grateful for a gospel that takes away the pride and comparison in life and lets us focus on better our own best, because at the end of the day we will be judged on what WE did with OUR life and not what our neighbor did with their life.