Devotional Thoughts: Evil starts from the inside

Am reading from Matthew 15:1-20.

We have a picture of Jesus as the friendly figure with a lamb in His arm and the children around Him.

That is a true picture of Jesus for he does reach out to people and love them and accepts them.

But Jesus is also the one who makes it clear what is right and wrong.

His ire is especially strong upon those who are religious leaders who mislead.

In this passage, critics were after Jesus because of "ceremonial hand washing."

Beats me why those critics wanted to be contentious about that!

Jesus thus lit into them citing Isaiah, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings."

He then turned to the crowds and said, "You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do."

Jesus finished off this discussion with the following: For from the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God."

Psalm 26:2 says: Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind ...

Our capacity for self-deception is so great that we need God to help us stay on track. And also, that is why I'm a believer in the church ... that flawed and imperfect institution ... because between God at work in my heart through the Bible and the Holy Spirit and the help of fellow Christians on the journey, I hope to stay on the right path.