Lately I've been reading in the Gospel of Matthew. It's good stuff from the very beginning; yes, even the genealogy is cool. As I was getting into the Sermon on the Mount, I came to those very well known & convicting statements that Jesus made:
"You have heard it said, 'Do not murder'...but I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment."
"You have heard it said, 'Do no commit adultery'. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
These are some depressing verses for most of us because it shows us just how deep our sin goes. It reminds us that we're not sinners because we sin, but that we sin because we're sinners. It's practically ingrained in us, & the problem that Jesus encountered was that people, especially religious people, liked to give the impression that they're OK. It's as if we believe that as long as our sin doesn't become one of the "BIG" or "PUBLIC" sins, we're good, but Jesus says the complete opposite. Jesus says that we're worried about our actions (can people see our sin), while God is concerned about our heart (the root of our sin).
In essence, we try to put band aids on our cancerous, dying lives by acting like we've got it all together. Even after we trust Jesus & accept His gift of forgiveness, we continue this pattern. We try to look healthy even when our lives are drying up. Jesus is concerned about our hearts, not simply our actions. Jesus understands that if He owns our hearts, our actions will eventually be transformed to look like our transforming heart. So how's your heart?
What heart issues are you struggling with? Don't think just about your actions; what is it in your heart that is coming out in your actions? What needs to change in your heart "intake" so that it can be transformed? Rip the band aids off & target the real issue in your life with the power of the Light of the World.
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