Read Mark 7:14-23. Have you gotten a cup out of the cabinet ready to drink your morning coffee and then right before you pour the brew in you notice the cup is dirty on the inside? Isn't that a disappointing moment? It doesn't matter how clean the mug is on the outside you are not going to to use it.
In our passage today, Jesus reveals a principle about life that must be heeded. We can get so focused on what is around us that we forget the true source of life. On one hand, we can look at what's going in the world and seem hopeless. Or we can blame what others have done to us take a victim mentality. Or we can become so distracted with earthly pursuits that we don't pay attention to our own soul.
Jesus says, it is not what enters a person from the outside that defiles them, it is what is in you that truly matters. From within is the source of our desires, our actions, and our behaviors. On a negative note, the heart can lead us to sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, and on and on. On the other hand, the Spirit of God within us cultivates what we call 'fruits' like love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, and self-control.
You are not a victim. What is happening around you or what has happened to you doesn't have the authority to force on you a certain life or course of action. Greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world. Lift your head and choose life from within.
Photo Credit: Benzoyl
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