Sunday 10 Jun 2018

June 10: Matthew 15:16-20

Key Verse: Matthew 15:18
But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.

Devotion:
Let us continue to talk about double standards, but this time let us look at the standard which we have for our physical life and the standard we have for our spiritual life. Far too often we think of them as entirely different standards and hold them apart whereas in reality we should be looking at our life with Christ and making sure it is right – everything else should then fall into place. Christ was quick to point out that what we do physically is not what will keep us from going to heaven; it is what we do against Christ which will keep us from His side.

Some religions have strict rules about what you can and cannot eat or drink, but Christ is clearly stating that what we eat or drink will go down our throats, be munched up by our stomachs and leave our bodies as waste. The only thing to go wrong would be if we ate in excess or what we ate worked against our bodies (such as poison). How can any of that keep us away from Christ if we are still focused on God whilst we partake of it? On the other hand, what comes out of the mouth is entirely different…

What is going to come out of our mouths is what we have learned (whether it be intentionally or otherwise) and what we have heard and what we have built up. We are not always taught things correctly because man wants to be able to prove himself in some way. We do not always hear the right stuff because we are not always amongst Christians who are always saying the right things! In fact, the more we are exposed to things, the more we think about them and the more we start to introduce them into our lives – the more they start to come out of our mouths!

Once those evil thoughts get into our minds, it is very difficult to get them out because they always seem to surface at the most inopportune times! We have essentially become polluted with things… That is why we need Christ to cleanse us. Only through His help and guidance can we be “deep-cleansed”!

Points to Ponder:
What “standards” do you keep for the things you listen to?

What Would Jesus Listen To?