Friday, March 10, 2022

Mar 10, 2023

Listen to the Word

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’” (Mark 7:6)

 

Mark makes it clear that Jesus was not a fan of hypocrisy. Many would have considered the Pharisees to be paragons of holiness and virtue. Jesus saw them as posers. He said they talked a good game when it came to matters of faith, but their hearts weren’t actually in it.


We often fall to the same temptation that snared the Pharisees. We devote more effort to APPEARING TO BE close to God than we do to BEING close to God. We can quote Bible verses and sing praise songs, but the rest of our lives reveal that it’s nothing more than lip service. It is a good thing to say the right words about God. It is an even better thing to have a heart that is fully his.


Live the Word

Be mindful of your words today, and notice how often you use them to try to impress others. Ask Jesus to transform you so that devotion to him is a reality, not an act.