Outward Expressions
How do you know the condition of your heart?
Verse of the Day
‘But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.’
Today’s Devotional
This is our last day of looking at the teachings of Jesus. For now.
As I read through Matthew recently, the fact that Jesus taught about the importance of our words a few different times stood out to me. We repeat what is important and what we want to make sure people hear and understand. My guess is that God does the same thing. We are made in His image, after all.
Let’s look at this section of Scripture: ‘“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”’ (Matthew 15:16-20)
In my Bible, this section of Matthew 15 (verses 1-20) is titled “Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity”. The Pharisees are upset. They ask Jesus, “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.”
Can’t you just picture Jesus putting His hand to His forehead, or shaking His head in gentle exasperation? Seriously, guys? There is a sentence that Jesus said in verse 6 that stopped me cold. “And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.”
Our words and our actions are the outward expressions of the condition of our hearts. Not our church attendance. Not the committees we are on. Not even our faithful reading of the Bible if it causes no change of heart, which is evident in our words and behavior.
I read a devotional this morning that encouraged me to take a deeper look at myself. “Set aside some time to take an inventory of the areas that seem as though they are in a state of unrest. We can better ask for restoration and wholeness when we can specifically identify the places that need healing. Pray, and ask God to show you the places in your heart and life that you may be missing.”
As I sat with my journal and asked God to show me, He did. What if we did the same exercise with regard to our words, our actions, our adherence to tradition over the Word, and where we have misunderstood what Jesus is actually asking of us? Just like the Pharisees were more concerned about the disciples washing their hands, sometimes we get worked up about stuff that absolutely doesn’t matter. We need the Holy Spirit to point those things out to us. We need a teachable spirit, which we should be praying for regularly. We need people in our lives who are willing to lovingly say hard things.
Jesus is teaching me that there is evidence of the condition of my heart. But I must be willing to look for it. My words sometimes show that my heart still needs the healing and restorative work of Jesus. I pray to be the kind of person who is willing to take an honest look at what the evidence shows, and to be willing to do whatever it takes to put myself in a position of willing obedience so that the Holy Spirit can mold me into who I was created to be.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Based on the evidence you can see, what parts of your heart need the healing and restoration of Jesus?
“Set aside some time to take an inventory of the areas that seem as though they are in a state of unrest. We can better ask for restoration and wholeness when we can specifically identify the places that need healing. Pray, and ask God to show you the places in your heart and life that you may be missing.”
Ask God to show you where you need instruction and correction: with your words, your actions, your adherence to tradition over the Word, where we have misunderstood what Jesus is actually asking of you, and where you have been worked up about something that doesn’t really matter.