Saturday, February 12, 2011

Mark 7

5 comments:

Chris said...

You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions... that sounds a lot like idolatry.

What kinds of things do I "do" without doing them with my heart? Here I sit, in order get "done" my devotions.... ugh.

Lord, have my heart. In the things I do, turn my heart to praise and giving you Glory. May I know You more today.

Unknown said...

But even in the "here I sit... in order to get done..." you are practicing obedience, my friend. I know what you are saying, I understand the whole "is my heart in this" but personally I am proud of you that TOOK time to go to the Word that morning (when I personally rushed out of the house without doing so). Love ya.

Unknown said...

"There is nothing people put into their bodies that makes them unclean. People are made unclean by the things that come out of them." v16

I think this is an important concept for me to wrap my brain around. I know it doesn't stand alone, but it is important. I grew up in a very legalistic environment where merely being "exposed" to "unholy" environments branded one as "sinful". Ie. going to dances was taboo, watching anything that had even one swear word in it or any hint of sexual verbage or activity. Now, while I understand the whole idea behind "conditioning" (we read recently in our bible study for small group that "Our awareness of what is sinful can easily grow dull with tolerance of and exposure to sin") there was still lack of TRUTH being taught to me. That it was the way I responded to and the mentality I had towards those things that made my own thoughts/actions righteous or not. Not what came in, but how I responded. I want to teach that to my kids.

Lois said...

You guys are such an encouragement to me. I appreciate your honesty and openness and desire to obey God with everything you have.

The "what goes in - what comes out" part of passage spoke to me,too, but I was also thinking of how it must have sounded to the Jewish ears who heard it. It must have made sense to them on one level, but it went against what the O.T. taught -- strict laws about what to eat and not eat. I know the Pharisees had added a lot, but this went against the O.T. itself, didn't it? It must have been confusing. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Unknown said...

yes, Lois... I feel the same way, the OT spends SO much time emphasizing purity through choices, and then the NT shows that we CAN'T be pure except through one choice, Jesus. I do feel for how hard it must have been for them to grasp, as it's hard for US to grasp even in hindsight! It is amazing though, once you do grasp it and start to see God's grace and goodness. My reading for small group today brought out the truth about justification, it was a light bulb moment for me;

"The doctrine of justification does not mean universal salvation but rather universal grace and forgiveness (AVAILABLE to all, but APPLICABLE to those who recognize it can only be attained through Christ).