A full and busy day it surely has been, Father. Thank You for enabling me to accomplish as much as I did. Thank You for being with Karen, touch her, please. May our time together be productive. Amen.
Matthew 15:15-20 (<<click the green)
As we saw yesterday, Lord, You have the uttermost love for the lost and zero patience for those who should know better…but Your disciples? They fell somewhere in the middle. They were surely teachable but they were slow enough to catch on that the Amplified Bible has You asking Peter in verse 16, “Are you still so dull [and unable to put things together]?”
The disciples had been with You well over two years and yet they still weren’t getting it! I know that quite often I am one to second guess myself on things rather than be wrong. It’s how I’ve trained myself to respond. I’m a relatively intelligent individual but I always feel better if I make sure that my assumptions are correct.
Regardless of whether this had been Peter’s thinking or not, You go on to answer his question and I ‘m sure he was speaking for the lot of them. What we ingest goes in and comes out, plain and simple. But what we say? What we say springs “from the heart – that’s what defiles [us].”
Eating “wrong” things, at “wrong” times with unwashed hands has no impact whatsoever. You go on to say, “For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you.”
Outside influences may fuel the fire but every single one of us is born with that flame already lit and glowing – and that flame is sin. We may expand our repertoire with things we hear and see but at the core of it all, there is no one to blame but ourselves. And there is no way to extinguish that flame – no way to eradicate that sin – than to trust in the gift of salvation offered by You and You alone.
Lord Jesus, may we fall at Your feet in repentance. May we joyfully accept Your payment for our sins. Fill us with Your presence that we may be victorious in our daily walk. May I be less so that You can be more. Amen.
May 22nd, 2018, Tues, 9:20 pm
