ROTTEN TO THE CORE
Colossians 2:23
"These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religions, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh."
We recently canned some pears. Some of them looked good on the outside, but when we cut them open, they were rotten to the core. Jesus confronted the Pharisees who looked very holy because they kept all the rules concerning washing of hands and dietary laws. But He pinpointed the problem when He said, "Out of heart proceed evil thoughts ... These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). Rules that control my behavior – "do not touch, taste, or handle" – are of value in controlling my outward evil actions, and they make me look holy to other people. But they do nothing to control the inner evil desires of the flesh – my lusts, my pride, my prejudices. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. He sees past the facade of my outward holiness and sees that I am rotten to the core. Only a change of heart will take care of the evil desires of my flesh. Praise be to God that He is changing me from the inside out.
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Rules can control external actions, but do not change the heart.
Have a changed day. Love you.
Colossians 2:23
"These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religions, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh."
We recently canned some pears. Some of them looked good on the outside, but when we cut them open, they were rotten to the core. Jesus confronted the Pharisees who looked very holy because they kept all the rules concerning washing of hands and dietary laws. But He pinpointed the problem when He said, "Out of heart proceed evil thoughts ... These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20). Rules that control my behavior – "do not touch, taste, or handle" – are of value in controlling my outward evil actions, and they make me look holy to other people. But they do nothing to control the inner evil desires of the flesh – my lusts, my pride, my prejudices. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart. He sees past the facade of my outward holiness and sees that I am rotten to the core. Only a change of heart will take care of the evil desires of my flesh. Praise be to God that He is changing me from the inside out.
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Rules can control external actions, but do not change the heart.
Have a changed day. Love you.
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