Sins of The Heart
There is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man.
Mark 7:15 (NASB1995)
Today’s devotional follows on from The Way of the Pharisees, which was written three days previously. In that, we saw that modern day Pharisees in some churches cling to traditions as the only way to Godliness/Righteousness. Our verse today comes at the point where our Lord is teaching the crowds about the futility of traditions regarding what foods to eat and washing receptacles or hands. Pharisees taught then and today that only religious traditions can save a person from sin, making them righteous in their own eyes.
Jesus stunned His listeners when He told them that sin didn’t come from unclean practices, but rather that sin already resides in the heart of the person – including the Pharisees (Mark 7:21-23). This was a bombshell for those Pharisees and their followers, but a confirmation to those who knew these Pharisees by their behaviour in public or even secret. It reminds me of the villagers making fun of church members who were super holy on Sunday but who had been dancing with the devil on Saturday night in the local pub. Sin already had a foothold in their heart before their Sunday traditions came.
“The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
“I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.
Jeremiah 17:9-10
Dear Reader, the truth of the matter for us all is that sin has a foothold in our hearts by the curse of Adam’s first sin. But the Good News is that there is a remedy for this heart disease; Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour paid the final penalty for all our sin – if we repent before Him He will heal our heart disease. There is no external tradition that can heal us from sin. Let us surrender our heart into the hands of the Great Physician today, that He may heal us.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalm 139:23-24
Alan Kearns is a Christian father and grandfather from Scotland. He was raised in the mining villages of Fife and came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior in 1984. A major influence that leads Alan to Jesus was his Christian mum, grandparents and an aunt. Alan writes regular devotionals in his blog Devotional Treasures
Image by ChatGPT
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