Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the
heart….For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which
defile a man… —Matthew 15:18-20
{CHAMBERS} “Initially
we trust in our ignorance, calling it innocence, and next we trust our
innocence, calling it purity. Then when we hear these strong statements from
our Lord, we shrink back, saying, “But I never felt any of those awful things
in my heart.” We resent what He reveals. Either Jesus Christ is the supreme
authority on the human heart, or He is not worth paying any attention to. Am I
prepared to trust the penetration of His Word into my heart, or would I prefer
to trust my own “innocent ignorance”? If I will take an honest look at myself,
becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I am
very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus Christ said is true, and I
will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. But
as long as I remain under the false security of my own “innocence,” I am living
in a fool’s paradise. If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person,
the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I
receive from living a civilized life. But when I am open and completely exposed
before God, I find that Jesus Christ is right in His diagnosis of me. The only thing that truly provides protection
is the redemption of Jesus Christ. If I will simply hand myself over to Him, I
will never have to experience the terrible possibilities that lie within my
heart. Purity is something far too deep for me to arrive at naturally. But when
the Holy Spirit comes into me, He brings into the center of my personal life
the very Spirit that was exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ, namely, the
Holy Spirit, which is absolute unblemished purity.”
{ELGIN} Most days I will “mine” nuggets from My
Utmost for His Highest to share and serve as a springboard for my devotional
thoughts. But some days, like today,
there is nothing that I can take away, I must quote the whole. I quote this verse so often. I have made it a practice to listen more than
I speak. And, if you listen long enough, you will hear the heart of the person
speaking. It usually takes more than one
conversation, but eventually you will hear the heart. Only God can see the heart of man. We cannot.
The Word says (Jeremiah 17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, And
desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
Indeed! Isn’t that what most of
us fear? That someone people will find
out who we “really” are! Well …. Bondye
knonnen … God knows … shouldn’t that cause us to tremble? Yet somehow, we have taken that knowing and
relegated to something small in the face of “man” discovering that we are
fallible and are not quite so virtuous in our own right. But as the info-mercials
say “Oh but wait there is more!” Praise God, your righteousness is not based upon your works or personal effort to be holy. It is found in Jesus Christ and Him alone. We
live a charade hoping to deceive those around us, and sometimes we do, but for what
end? As born again children of God we
are to live for His glory and not for the praise and acceptance of men (John 12:43). We must lay our hearts on the altar. And pray as David did …
(Psalm 51:1-12) Have mercy
upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness, According to the multitude of
Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my
iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And
my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this
evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless
when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother
conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden
part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be
clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And
blot out all my iniquities. Create in me
a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me
away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to
me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”
Do it today. Amen?
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