S: Matthew 15:18-20 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, uncharitable, theft, false witness, blasphemy. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.
The early Jewish teachings instructed that if people ate with unclean hands, the food they ate would've then be unclean. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they were true to their ancient beliefs about the washing of hands, but broke the commandments of God in other ways. He was teaching that it is not what goes inside the body that defiles a person, but what comes out.
Ther are so many times we pick and choose which rules to follow and exactly how to follow them, usually if they benefit us at the moment. That is why Christians are easily categorized as hypocrites. We follow certain rules from the bible, but are easily led astray by our hearts. A big way to overcome this is to be aware of what situations we let ourselves be in. It is easy to fall into place with coworkers, neighbors, friends, with gossip, bad thoughts, etc. instead of standing up for what is right. We need to be the light for others to find Christ, even if it means walking away from people we called friends. We must not let our hearts defile us.
Lord, please help me have a pure heart and strong will for you desires. Amen.
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