From the Depths of the Heart!

 
 Thought For Today - May 5, 2025
 From the Depths of the Heart!
By: Robert A Searles                                 

    "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 

Out of the depths of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, and every evil thing.

    The scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus of transgressing the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating. These hypocrites, as Jesus called them, were zealous of outward appearances and the attending to rituals in a pretense of seeming to be Holy before God; but Jesus was swift to remind them that they were transgressing the laws of God by their tradition.

    Like many people today, they drew near to God with their mouth, but their heart was far from him, they were careful to give a vane show of worship of God by following the doctrine of good works of men.

    Jesus who examines the heart of all men, and knows our thoughts afar off, and knows the motives behind every deed, emphasized that it is not what we do, or what we put into our mouths that matters so much to God, but the thoughts and intents of the heart that produce either evil or good. If the thoughts and meditations of our heart are pure and pleasing to God, Then will follow obedience and good works that will be pleasing and honoring to God. Only God can purify our hearts by the constant indwelling of his Holy Spirit.

    "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, why do ye also transgress the commandments of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, honor thy father and mother: and , he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, it is a gift, by whatsoever thou might be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, this people draweth nigh unto me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the doctrines of men." Matthew 15: 1-9. 

"And he called the multitude, and said unto them, hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." Matthew 15: 10-11

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                                        Psalm 26:7