Jesus made a special point of discouraging the laying of emphasis upon outer observances; and, indeed, upon hard-and-fast rules and regulations of every kind. What he insisted upon was a certain spirit in one’s conduct, knowing that when the spirit is right, details will take care of themselves. Yet, in spite of this, the history of orthodox Christianity is largely made up of attempts to enforce all sorts of external observances upon the people.
Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life (2 Corinthians 3:6).
Jesus’ entire ministrry was based on this principle. Mere adherence to form without spiritual integrity is hollow. Take any example. The Good Samiritan violated all the religious rules to help the injured traveler, yet he was cited by Jesus as the only one who acted as the person’s neighbor.
That which is within in our hearts, our spirits and our minds is what makes an act right or wrong most of the time. Even the criminal code supports this same priciple. The person who kills another person is self defense is not guilty of murder and is innocent of that charge.
So today, let us evaluate our owm motives and whether our actions meet the spirirt of the Bible, instead of just following the forms. Let us critically review if our “Christian” behavior is based on love, acceptance and tolerance.
In the spirit of the law,
Z gardener
Stan Flint stanleyflint@aol.com
Good Morning Garden 
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