One day, the Pharisees were asking Jesus questions, as they often did. This time, they were asking Jesus about why He and His disciples did not follow Jewish customs. Jesus told them that they were ignoring God’s law and creating their own traditions, then added that it was not what goes into your body that defiles you, but what comes from your heart. He went on and said that from the heart comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness, and that that is what defiles you.

This is true and applies to everyone. You have probably heard, several times, that it is the inside that counts. Perhaps you tend to ignore these words since we have heard them so often. However, when you hear it from Jesus, it feels much more powerful and special! From the heart comes both good and bad, which means that we have the ability to change what mode our heart is in whenever we want. Since the decision is ours, we should use that freedom wisely. God does not want our hearts to be full of impure things; instead, he wants us to focus on love, kindness, and gratitude. Although it can be difficult to change what we are thinking and feeling sometimes, we can make every effort to replace the bad with things we are grateful for and find what God says about it in His Word. Sometimes, what we are feeling is not even about others! Maybe you do not like what you see in the mirror, and then you start comparing yourself with others who you think are better than you. When this happens, we can find something about ourselves that we enjoy and are grateful for, and we can remind ourselves that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). No matter what circumstance, it’s the heart that matters.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, I am sorry for allowing myself to give into dishonorable thoughts and desires sometimes; please forgive me. Thank you for all the many things I can be grateful for. Please continue helping my heart to be clean in what it thinks and feels, and help me to remember that it is the inside that matters. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

1. Mark 7:15

Today’s Encounter was written by: Gianna B.