Mark 7:15
“It’s not what goes
into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
This is a challenging
verse for me. My devotion this morning delt with this verse and having a clean
heart. Jesus goes on in verses 20-23 and
says,
“…It is what comes
from inside that defiles ou. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come
evil thought, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness,
deceit, lustful desires, eny, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile
things come from within; they are what defile you.”
So, all of these
things stem from your heart. If your heart isn’t clean and pure then this is
what comes out of you. You can look good and like you have it all together on
the outside but what does the aroma of your heart smell like? When Jesus
mentioned murder, adultery, or theft I wasn’t surprised because we obviously
know those things are vile, but I didn’t really consider the “hidden sins” that
don’t show on the outside. The sins we fight with on the inside such as: envy,
greed, lustful desires, and pride to name a few. I think about my daily
struggles with always wanting more and never being content with what I already
have. Seeing what someone else has and needing it too. Looking at another man
and letting your mind wander. And too be so caught up in myself and so worried
of what someone might think of me that I don’t put myself out there and do what
I know I need to be doing. I know that I keep myself hidden or put on a show so
that other people around me don’t really know what is going on in my heart.
Another one that I didn’t really think of is Arrogance. How many times a day do
I measure myself up to those around me and say “Well at least I’m not that bad
or Well at least I don’t look like that.” When really is someone was to look at
what was going on in my heart I think they would probably pass out because of
the disgusting aroma radiating off of it. In my devotional they asked the
question: What would it look like to take those definitions and clean them up?
·
Un-Arrogance: a gracious display of selflessness
·
Un-envy: being completely content with all of
our blessings
·
Un-greed: a desire to share what God has given
to us
Doesn’t that sounds
like a clean heart to you? Doesn’t that sound like what Jesus would want to be
in our heart? Don’t you think that would draw people to us because they would
wonder how these things are possible? Wouldn’t your light shine bright instead
of just flickering about to burn out?
I have challenged
myself to have the Un-attitude so what comes out of my heart is clean. It’s not
going to be easy, but I know that My Jesus will be smiling down at me. I don’t
want what comes out of me to stink….I want it to smell attractive and just like
fresh clean laundry!!!
Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a pure
heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Matthew 12:34
“ For whatever is in
your heart determines what you say.”
