“20 And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:20-23 NLT
We live in a society that places more importance on looking good on the outside than it does on looking good on the inside. To look good on the inside is to possess what the psalmist wrote about when he prayed to God in Psalm 51:10. It is to have a clean heart and a right spirit within. Jesus Christ teaches us that we shouldn’t be so concerned with outward appearances, and we shouldn’t be overly focused on the rules of what and how we should eat or drink. In other words, he is teaching us to be ever so careful that we are not so consumed with fitting in that we forget what is important to God.
Jeremiah 17:9(NLT) states, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” We are quick to put our trust in our own hearts, and we are much too quick to trust the hearts of others. The Word of God tells us the heart is deceitful and wicked. Good looks, money, and a good reputation aren’t what determines our access to God’s Kingdom. Our Heavenly Father looks at the condition of our hearts. He looks at whether we have a heart that desires to do what pleases Him?
Jesus Christ is our blueprint. He showed us the way to please the Father, and he demonstrated how we can have an intimate relationship with God. In John 14:6(NLT), Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” He’s informed us under no uncertain terms that modeling his life gives us access to God. We must have the mind and heart of Christ to fulfill our call and purpose. Our attitudes can’t be all about pleasing other people or doing what society thinks is appropriate; again, our minds and hearts must be focused on pleasing the Father.
Through his example, Christ showed us how to have a heart that loves everyone, even those that have treated us unkind. Although people slandered him, tried to harm him, and ultimately persecuted Jesus Christ on the cross, he still loved them. He is our big brother and the perfect example of what it looks like to have a clean heart and a right spirit, but many of us don’t practice what he taught. We want to retaliate when someone does us wrong. We become belligerent and fly off the handle if we don’t like how we’re spoken to. We forget that God is watching our every move, and through our actions, attitudes, and words, we are showing Him and everyone else what is in our hearts.
God forgives our bad behavior when we seek His forgiveness, but to continue sinning and not repent by changing the way we think, act, and speak is very injurious to our relationship with Him. 2Timothy 1:7(ESV) informs us, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” We must discern when our actions, attitudes, and words are not representing Christ, because if they aren’t, we are the ones to pay the price. We set ourselves up for failure when the love of Christ is not at the root of what we do, think, and say. It takes self-discipline and control to walk this Christian journey, and Jesus Christ has taught us that the gate to heaven is a narrow one. We must make growing in him our highest priority, because when we make the mind and heart of Christ our goal, we will not defile ourselves, instead we will be pleasing to God and receive the blessings of His rewards.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“Hearts and Minds Like Christ”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.