Wednesday, October 15, 2008

where is my heart?

Mark  7:1-23, Matthew 15:1-20, Mark 7:24-30, Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:31-37, Matthew 15:29-31, Mark 8:1-10, Matthew 15:32-39

Mark 7:6He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
   " 'These people honor me with their lips,
      but their hearts are far from me.
 7They worship me in vain;
      their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
8
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." ... 18 ... "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") 20He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "


How tragic to think that I have exchanged the commands of God for the traditions of men!  It is not the acts of wickedness that are the problem; they are simply consequences of the deeper problem - the condition of the heart.  I know that my heart is evil and deceitful; I need Christ to save me from myself!

On a lighter note, I'm glad to see that Jesus declared all foods 'clean' because I sure do enjoy bacon.

Love Dare - love protects, proactively guards, keeps watch against the enemy ...

Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray that you will illuminate my mind and reveal the wickedness of my heart.  O Father, would you please perform heart surgery and give me a clean and pure heart that loves and seeks you and no other?  Lord, I need  your grace; I need the grace of Calvary applied to my heart condition.  Father please deliver me from the wicked flesh within me.  Please illuminate my "worship" and point out anything that is vain or religious.  I pray that you will empower me with wisdom and discernment to guard my marriage, tooth and nail.  I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment