Luke 11:38-39
The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil."
Think of a person who you admire spiritually. Someone who seems to always be filled with the Holy Spirit and really strong in his faith. If you went to dinner at his house, would you be shocked to not pray before you eat? Now imagine the opposite. A super-heathen (the worst superhero ever!). What if dinner at his house began with everyone holding hands, speaking out loud their prayers etc. You'd be a little confused! We have these ideas of what a "proper" Christian life looks like and sadly, we can fall into the trap of trying to make our lives look like that image simply because it's what we think we're supposed to do.
Of course, we should pray before our meals, but not because it's what we're supposed to do. We pray because we want to thank God and acknowledge his provision. Of course we should go to church every Sunday, but not to check the box. We go to be in the presence of God and to worship. Let's challenge ourselves to think of one thing that we do because it's "the Christian thing to do" and study, pray and really reflect on why, personally we are doing it. You never know, it might become the richest part of your faith journey.
