Tradition and Routine

“They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'[b] 8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." .” Mark 7:7-8

We need order in our lives, our homes, and our churches. All these things are good, but we can not allow those traditions and routines to overshadow God. We can't get so caught up in religious routine that we are no longer in touch with the principle behind it. Know the difference between the Word versus something that was put in place by man to help prevent you from stumbling in your walk with Christ. Let's take dancing for instance.

Dance is a varied art form practiced in different cultures throughout the world. The bible recognizes people giving glory to God through dance.  When the stance against dancing was taken, I believe it was put in place to prevent other believers from stumbling. In some churches, even dancing in the spirit is not acceptable. We can agree that some dance styles are more suggestive and could lead someone into temptation. We can also conclude that this is the root cause of this attempt to roll dancing up into one big bad package. But when I watch my 2 year old dancing his heart away with this huge smile on his face there's nothing but good in that. Oh what a joy!

I didn't bring this up to criticize anyone. If you feel convicted by something, then you shouldn't do it. It's not my place to criticize another person for implementing certain restrictions in their life to help them live holy. Our goal is to please God, not man. On the same token if someone believes something is right for them and they are living according to His word, they also should not be criticized. As Christians the bible encourages us to show how we are different from the world. This includes how we treat one another. If you correct someone that is off the mark in a certain area, show them the Word but do it with kindness and a pure heart. Don't go to them in self righteousness because that's not God's way, God's way is always in love.