¹⁷ “Now you, if you call yourself a Jew;
if you rely on the law and boast in God,
¹⁸ if you know His will and approve of what is superior
because you are instructed by the law;
¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind,
a light for those who are in the dark,
²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children,
because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—
²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?
You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
²² You who say that people should not commit adultery,
do you commit adultery?
You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonour God by breaking the law?
²⁴ As it is written:
“God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
~ Romans 2:17-29

The sin of hypocrisy is one that Christ hates. We need to walk worthy of the Lord. That does not mean we are perfect — but it does mean that we do not say, sing, pray or praise one thing, and then do the other.

Petition: Please join with us in praying for:

1. Australia – There has been a great deal in the news this week about the cost to families and individuals of the lockdown measures being taken. Children who are not able to visit dying parents, a daughter not being able to go to her father’s funeral, and yet AFL players and film stars being given special exemptions allowing them to travel and quarantine in luxury. These things cause hurt and cause a sense of injustice and unfairness. Pray that all our leaders will remember the human costs and again that we will all be given patience.

2. The World – There was bad news on the vaccine front this week — with trials on the leading candidate (the Oxford Astra-Zeneca) being halted because of an adverse reaction in one of the recipients. This is not unusual, but it does mean that the trials will be held up and the vaccine delayed. You can read about it here.

Meanwhile, there is another interesting article about Pakistan — which people were really concerned about. They appear to have handled it much better and are on the rebound. This article explains some of the details.

A Song of Praise – Melbourne’s Sons of Korah have some beautiful versions of the psalms – not least this version of Psalm 16 – Keep me safe, O Lord:

Prayer:
O Lord, we ask that You deliver us from hypocrisy.
Do not let us take our name on our lips, and not have You in our hearts.
Do not let Your name be blasphemed because of what Your people do.
Keep us safe and grant that in the midst of this troubled world,
we may know Your peace, strength and comfort. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

___

Weekly devotions by David Robertson via Christians United — COVID19 Call to Prayer.[Photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash]