do not keep the poop in your heart but let it be eliminated...

There a few things this week that made an impression on me. I am currently reading through the books of Mark, Exodus, and the Psalms. One small passage that particularly made an impression this week is Mark 7:14-23:

14After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16["If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."] 17When he had left the crowd and entered (A)the house, (B)His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18And He said to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He declared (C)all foods (D)clean.)20And He was saying, "(E)That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, (F)envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23"All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.(NASB)"

In this passage, Jesus is talking to his disciples after He was rebuking the Pharisees who prided themselves in their traditions/works and thereby were neglecting the commandments of God (v.8). Basically what I believe Jesus is saying is that what comes out of a man's mouth is reflective of what his heart is like. Jesus declared all food clean and that food does not pollute the heart, but rather it comes out the other end and it is gone. Words, if they are reflective of the heart, can give an idea of how much stench and pollution is in a man's heart. In Matthew 5 Jesus talks about the state of a man's heart and if he hates brother, then it is the same as if he had committed murder. The Pharisees disguised their smelly hearts with their good works but Jesus can see through that.

"I Am Slow of Speech"

I am reading through Exodus right now and am fascinated how easily people gain trust in God and then quickly lose it again. In one passage, we see the Isrealites singing praises to God and then later they seem to have forgotten what God had done for them. It is the same with Moses, God chose him even after he had killed an Egyptian. I find that today we are no different to Moses. God calls us to do things all the time. Do we choose to ignore His calling, do we find excuses, or are we willing to make changes in our lives to make room for God?

When God called Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, his main excuse was that he was "slow of speech". Exodus 4:10 Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.(NASB)"

I love how God put him in His place in the next verse... V.11 The LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?

It is basically God telling him to shut up by reminding him that he is the Creator of all things, let alone his mouth. It is as if He were saying: "If I can make the Heavens and the Earth and all functions of your body, then I can give you the words to say to Pharaoh."

It is interesting to note that Moses kept telling God that he was slow of speech but he was not that slow to make excuses for himself...

I think we are all guilty of this..