When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
Matthew 15:10-11
Well here it is, exposure for us all. It isn’t what we bring into our lives that defile us, it is that we are already defiled and the things we bring into our lives are evidence against us. Jesus wants us to understand that cultural and religious traditions are not what keep our hearts clean. How can we cleanse our heart? Psalm 119:9-11 tells us we cleanse ourselves by obeying the commands of the Lord with our whole heart. We can beef up our sin protection by memorizing His word.
It seems to me that it is hard for us to accept that it isn’t our behavior that dirties us but that we are born that way. Especially parents have a hard time believing their little one is a born sinner even though that little one is their own flesh and blood. Until we come to terms with our status as innate sinners we can’t properly address our hearts. We will keep trying to clean up our environs and behavior instead of submitting to the Lord to allow Him to transform our hearts.
“Hear and UNDERSTAND” is Jesus’ desire for us. Approach Him honestly today. Don’t hold your behavior up for Him to test, hold your heart up for inspection. Let Him test your heart to determine its status. (Psalm 139:23-24) Repent of any wicked way that you carry in your heart.
Lord Jesus, here is my prayer today. Look deep inside me; identify any wickedness in my heart. Expose it to me so that I can repent and move towards being undefiled. Forgive me for looking outside for the source of my sin. I look to You to settle all of my sin issues. Forgive me for allowing evil in my person by blaming those around me. Thank You for giving Your life to cleanse me.
Scrubbing My Soul From The Inside Out,
Pastor Jason
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