Lessons Learned on the Journey

Corrupt behavior of corporate CEO's or the despicable actions of serial killers make me cringe on one level or another. Yet why am I surprised? Could it be I have forgotten the condition of the human heart?

Visiting Auschwitz several years ago was appalling to me. As you know, among the many horrors was medical experimentation on the disabled and children. The behavior of these "brilliant physicians" betrayed the condition of their hearts -- desperately wicked!

Jesus, talking to religious people of his day, revealed their wicked hearts. In that day, to avoid providing help or assistance to their parents, these people followed a "new law" saying that whatever they would have done for their parents would instead be offered as a gift devoted to God -- called Corban. Jesus said "Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down." (Mark 7:13a NIV) To nullify God's Word -- what a frightening thought! Knowing my wayward heart, God says the same of me.

Only God knows our hearts; but He waits for us to hand them over to Him for transformation. Yet many of us spend much of our time appearing good on the outside or performing religiously rather than attending to the condition of our hearts. Jesus speaking to religious leaders of his day said, "You clean the outside of the cup and dish but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish and then the outside also will be clean." Matthew 23:25, 26

This week let us attend to the inside of our cups - our hearts - and receive the cleaning only Jesus can give.