Mark 7
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Psalm 126
A song of ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
Romans 9
9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
Recently, I had a debate about the shape of a heart. It's a very old symbol and it really does not look like a pig organ. I say that a person is a 5 pound soul. A person - for exactly NO physical reason - looses five pounds after they pass on. The heart shape is a perfect symbol for the fact that if you believe with your heart and confess with your soul - Jesus is the Christ - your soul is gathered in the Grace of God and defies being dead. Our essence and memories will live on - what God calls in His Word - our BEING lives on. (I say this a lot - you never know which post pops up on a subject on the internet.)
Now the other part of the debate was - a soul is actually Light. Which does make sense because - God is the Light of all of mankind. The disciple John records this in His Gospel.
God balances out this by Jesus saying He knows what is in the heart of mankind.
If we look for Blessings in the Word of God this is going to center on the Law.
Mankind has so many layers. With all the layers - God decides the World needs to be saved. And if we look at that twice - God says Saved. As in - needs redemption.
God surrounds His Law and builds His framework on how to build where Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - will give us our best possible place to become the best soul God sees in us.
And God gives the Law to a mankind saying something so deep and profound you cannot read these Words and push them aside for the rest of Your life:
Exodus 33:19
And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
God gives His Law for our fulfillment. I was surprised, as an adult, to realize the orderliness of God's Law. He comes first. And this is not to be the gge great goat eater in the sky. This establishes a framework for what is Good - far and away beyond ourselves. God is so - softly spoken - that as HE Commands us to come into His Presence on Sundays - at His House - He is actually feeding us for drawing up the Light - the Love - that God Is to meet the higher and understated purposes in life.
Some days you just keep slogging away at making yourself HAPPY - it's just an amazing RELIEF to realize - OH MY GOD - Thank You that You are Good and Worthy and Love.
And I will tell you a secret, what People say about God - is what they secretly fear HE is saying about them.
So God gives us His Law. And that is good.
Mankind cannot adhere to the Law.
Because even when we do law and frequently spout it and live it - sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly come into this. Jesus says our thoughts - we can be darn glad of as private, define our hearts before God and He tells us a Savior is needed. It's no mistake Jesus called the law abiders and givers the white washed tombs.
Jesus said His people are salt and light. Not the dull.
We have a whole crowd of People who love to spout the rhetoric of safety in their cellophane wrapper ideas of God.
God says when we Love Him very much and Love others - He will forgive sins. He says Love covers a multitude of sins.
Like Jesus telling a chosen friend, follower, one who said "Let's to and die with Jesus." At the time of Lazarus. And then... Thomas ran away at trouble.
Thomas was
sooooo very comfortable saying, "I don't know. It seems improbable. Ya'll saw that there is SOME BIG TROUBLE IN THIS. So. I'm going with the profound safety of "I'm not sure you can really, really, really know this.""
Thomas - we love to say for millenniums - "I'm Thomas." Laugh with me because - really. Really, really. I don't want to put my hands in the side of Jesus. I don't want to see my fingers pass through His Hand.
I want to say, "Please, Jesus, be whole again. Please forgive me for ever having anything to do with what would cause this to happen." I weep to think of what Jesus' feet looked like. I want to sit with Jesus throw my arms around Him and say, "THANK YOU JESUS."
And when I face the realities of this level of Forgiveness - I say with profound gratitude - "You are God. The Lord Jesus Christ. And I do not need to be a Judge of man. Thank You that Your Word never requires me to decide the fate of some many levels of all of mankind. And I will work out my own salvation with understanding the Riches of Your Glory."
My Good is in You, Lord Jesus Christ. My Father the Lord. Amen. And the rest of the prayer - is for my family to make choices of Love. Goodness. For us all to remember to pray the huge prayers of National Sovereignty. For Healthcare. For joy in living the Life that God calls Good yesterday, today and tomorrow. And blessings on the people who pray to live out God's will for them. When we believe we are blessed in all of His blessings for us for today and tomorrow - we are truly blessed. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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