Do we let our traditions interfere with our spiritual life or the affairs of the church? Do we worship our ancestors or Jesus Christ?  Sometimes people get upset when someone interferes with the local traditions of their congregations. These people sometimes can create divisions in the church with their claims of  “My great grandfather started the church and we have never done it this way before” or “We can’t cut that tree, I played under it when I was kid”—never mind that the next big storm will cause the tree to damage the roof. You get the picture, I would imagine you have many of your own examples from real life.  We need to keep in mind the true mission of the church instead of squabbling over someone’s idea of how we need to uphold tradition.  Jesus reminds us that our spiritual lives start within our hearts and the desire to truly worship God. Human traditions and rules sometimes need to be set aside so we can truly follow Jesus. Our attitudes and deeds should be in line with the teaching of Christ. Sometimes we deceive ourselves into thinking that what we want is what God wants. This why our prayer time and Bible reading are essential to our Christian lives.