Monday, "What's on the Inside Counts"

BIBLE READING: Mark 7. 1-9
                            
     Shopping for a good watermelon is difficult because no matter how good it looks on the outside, it's hard to tell what it's really like on the inside.  We can tap it, thump it, and squeeze it, only to take it home and discover that the inside is not edible.
     In our Bible reading today, we see Jesus' disciples didn't wash their hands before eating.  The Pharisees became extremely irritated because it violated one of their man-made traditions.  Jesus immediately challenged them by saying:  "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!" (v. 9 ESV)
He went so far as to call them "hypocrites" (v. 6) and explained that what comes from the inside of an individual is what "defiles" him, not the other way around. (Mark 7:14 - 23).
     If we're not careful, we can become so absorbed with looking good on the outside, that we forget what really counts.  In fact, when we get to the place where we think "we've arrived," we may become proud of ourselves and judgmental toward others.  Harboring bitterness, clinging to critical attitudes, and thinking too highly of ourselves are the kind of defiling things that make us guilty of Jesus' charge of being a "hypocrite."

     The point is this:  It's the things on the inside of our heart - our thoughts and attitudes that really matter to the Lord.

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