Assiciated Program Not Found

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! (Mark 7:1-9 ESV). The Directory was named C:\BUSINESS\PROJ3\LETTRS\ARCHIVE and the creation date was July 12, 1998. I opened the directory and looked over the filenames trying to figure out what the files were. I could not remember. I tried to open one of the files, but received the "Associated Program Not Found" message and realized I had deleted the old word processor used to create these files several years ago. I pondered for a few seconds concerning what to do with these orphaned files. When I checked how little disk space they were occupying, I decided to just leave them there. I never delete anything. I still have old CPUs that run only on DOS 2.1.1! My garage and Kyle’s basement are full of things I might need someday! Life is a never-ending series of choices concerning letting go and holding on. For all people, regardless of social status, personality types, or religious beliefs, each day presents us with choices regarding what we will let go of, and what we will hold on to. Who we are, what we believe about ourselves, and most importantly, what we believe about God, is reflected in these choices. For those in the time of Christ, the traditions and the ways of man were of highest priority. And because it is impossible to choose both the way of God and the way of man, they chose the way of their own making. The way that was most comfortable to them. The way they could control. Perhaps the life we live indicates that we have made the same choice. Letting go and holding on. It sounds so simple; yet it is so difficult. Use this prayer as a commitment this morning: Father, help me this week to let go of all that I have created, and turn to You; all the things that I have told myself that I need; all of my man-made and man-focused traditions that help me feel safe and secure; all the distractions that keep me from You. Help me to hold on to You, and to be comforted in the knowledge that You are holding on to me.