What consumes you?
Devotion In Motion
Midweek Meditation
05/18/2021
Mark 7:14-23 nkjv
“When (Jesus) had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” “When (Jesus) had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” “And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye…” “blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
“When (Jesus) had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” Here Jesus offers a critique on Judaism. You see Under Jewish law certain foods were “unclean.” It was a sin to consume them. But Jesus is saying that sin doesn’t originate in what we consume – but in what comes out of our heart.So the question becomes what are we going to have for dinner but what is it that consumes our heart? You see “At the heart of every matter is the matter of our hearts”.
A man lusts after a woman in the low-cut blouse, tight dress or jeans not because the woman is dressed like that you see; but because the desire was already there. She just set it off… Don’t blame your temper tantrum on someone else, well they made me. They might’ve lit the fuse, but you explode because your heart was packed with dynamite already.
Which reminds me of the little boy who asked his mom, “Mommy, why do all the idiots and morons only come out when daddy drives?” What’s in your heart? What is it that consumes you? True righteousness flows from the inside out, not the outside in. That’s why Christianity is not about what we can do for God, but about God’s Spirit working in us. Verse 17continues , “When (Jesus) had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?”
Now Under the Law pork was an unclean food, but look bacon isn’t our enemy. It goes down your digestive tract and gets eliminated just like everything else you eat. It shortens this life, but it doesn’t affect your eternity. “And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye…” Ever been given an evil eye?. That’s when someone is maddogging you with the intention of bringing harm or hoping something happens to you. When you get that kind of a look, you know there’s something going on inside that person.
An evil eye is the result of evil brewing in the heart of this guy already. Jesus continues His list, “blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Adultery, fornication, theft, deceit… isn’t the result of an opportunity that came looking for you. believe it or not it was in you already, You were looking for an opportunity. And since the problem is within, that’s where the solution begins… God wants to change our hearts. “The mouth speaks, the hands do, the feet go… where the heart leads” Jesus made it clear to the Pharisees and the legalists it’s not the following of traditions or rituals that make a man clean. , it’s not the washing of hands, but the purity of the heart that matters.
There is only one thing that can clean a person’s inward parts and that is by being washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. 1st by repenting-Turning away from that which makes God sad then by believing on him who he sent (Jesus Christ) then by, receiving him into your heart.-asking him to come into your heart and lead you his Holy Spirit.
Jack’s grandfather left him ten million dollars, and the next week Diane agreed to marry him.After three months of married life, Jack noticed that his beautiful new wife was ignoring him more and more. Whenever they went out in public, she ignored him and flirted with other men. Finally, he decided to confront her. “Diane,” he said, “was the only reason you married me was because my grandfather left me ten million dollars when he died?” “Don’t be ridiculous,” she replied, “I don’t care who gave you the money!”
What consumes you?
Victor Tafoya
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