A CLEAN HEART COMES FROM GOD

MARK 7:1-23

A CLEAN HEART COMES FROM GOD

“ ‘Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him.  Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean’.”  Mark 7:15

   

Jesus did not come to perform rituals and look at the outward appearances, but he come for those who are broken in hearts. Tax collectors, sinners and all those who are seeking forgiveness; he humbled himself and sat down to listen to them, talked to them and even ate meals together with them in their homes. Jesus cares about the heart; to him, eating with a sinner or a tax- collector does not defile a man as long as he has a pure heart.

When soldiers in South Sudan go to war, they believe they are fighting for a cause. They are not worried about what really enters their bodies, or whether there is clean water to drink or a faucet to wash hands before a meal. At that moment of passion and commitment, what really matters is what comes out, or what they say to each other, and if it is really coming from the heart. Even in the midst of the wilderness they still laugh and smile, with a strong faith. They know God will still be able to rescue them because it’s his world and not theirs.

Pray as if all depends on God, live your life as if it all depends on you. Believe to make things happen because God works in a corresponding action.

Dear God, fill our hearts with goodness that we may honor you in all we say and do. Amen

~ Linda Tartisio