Have you ever caught somebody messing around with something that did not appear to be theirs? Or maybe you had someone "sticking their nose" into something that wasn't their business. When we see situations like this one of our first thoughts is "What gives you the right?" This is the very question that God asks of us when we know what He expects of us, but we just don't do it. The following passage of Scripture addresses this very issue:

But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?

For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.

Psalms 50:16-17, ESV

I believe we need to take to heart this thought. We are doing our best to fins out what God wants us to do, and this is good and right. However, once we find out what His will is, should we fail to do it we might just find ourselves being asked "What right have you?" by our Father in Heaven.

Here is the point: We are reading through the New Testament - the covenant that we are under - in order to find out the terms of that covenant. Within the New Testament we have commands and examples for how to worship, how to be saved, and how to live our everyday lives. Once we know what to do, we must do it! I know this should be obvious, but is it the way we really live? Do we accept all of God's instruction on the worship? Do we acknowledge and obey all of His plan of salvation? Do we obey all of His commands, or just most of them?

If we are just going "part way" or even "most of the way" we may very well find ourselves before God's throne at the Judgment being asked, "What gives you the right?" It's something to think about, isn't it?

Today is the 9th day of the 30-day challenge to read through the New Testament and the reading is Luke 14-21. It is filled with the knowledge we need to be able to have the right to approach our Lord and Savior, and to live with Him forever. It's a pretty good deal, when you think about it!