Daily Devotions
When to Follow Traditions
Reading for September 19th: Hosea 1-7
Weekly reading for September 13-19: 2 Thess 1-3; 2-3 John
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
2 Thessalonians 2:15
Some of the churches in southern Africa have a tradition to close their service with a hymn where they sing and greet everyone as they close the assembly. They walk out together into a line as everyone sings the hymn until each member has greeted every other member in the assembly.
A pretty cool tradition for someone visiting from America. However, I was told that there are some people (mostly younger Christians) who don't like this tradition so much. It's old and traditional. They would rather that tradition die out.
How are we to think about traditions?
1. We must determine whether the tradition is from God or man. If the tradition is from the Bible, we must hold to it and stand firm without compromise.
2. If the tradition is of man, we need to consider the wisdom of keeping or discarding it. Some traditions serve a useful purpose in edifying us and building us up. They may seem uncool and old fashioned to those of us who are younger, but sometimes we must sacrifice our individual preferences for the sake of the whole.
On the other hand, we who are older must be willing to listen to those who wish for change. Sometimes an old tradition has outlived it's usefulness. We should never regard our traditions on the same level as scripture, and to bind traditions on others was clearly condemned by our Savior (Mt 15:1-20).
Father, give us courage to stand firm in what you have handed down, wisdom to know when to give up or keep something handed down by man, and humility so that we may never divide over personal preference.
