FILTHY DIRTY
Matthew 15:10-11, 20
“When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, ‘Hear and understand; not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man …. These are the things that defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.’ ”
The word “defile” means to make filthy and unclean. Jesus explained this teaching: What comes out of the heart is more important than body cleanliness. It matters not how clean a person is on the outside. It is not what I eat that makes me dirty or even the grime on my body; it is what I think and do. If a heart is filthy, the entire body is unclean. James wrote that an evil tongue defiles the whole body (James 3:6). I have seen beautiful women who destroy their beauty by swearing. It was what came out of the mouth that defiled them. No matter how good a person looks on the outside, if the heart is wicked, it will eventually come out. The Pharisees were concerned with the externals. God is concerned with the internals – the matters of the heart, because it is from the heart that evil proceeds. The cry of my heart is that of David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).
TODAY’S PRINCIPLE: A filthy heart is more important to God than a dirty body.
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Have a “clean-heart” day. Love you.
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