May Our Inner Man Be Worthy

October 2

“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." Matthew 15:18-20.


We teach our children to be aware of germs. We know how important it is to be cleanly in our habits and we endeavor to instill good hygienic practices into our young ones. But as important as it is to be aware of maintaining a clean, healthy environment in this day of Ebola and other dangerous pathogens, Jesus states clearly that neglecting proper hygiene is not the most detrimental thing to our well-being.

No doubt He who created all things, according to John 1:3 which says, “All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made,” is fully aware of the importance of maintaining good health practices; but the primary concern of the One who healed by His touch and by His word, was for the sin-sick soul of man, not for the mere physical body.

Jesus came to set us free. We know that everyone who accepts Him as Savior and Lord is delivered from bondage to sin. In this passage in Matthew 15, He is pointing out the origin of the sin problem. It originates within the heart of every one of us. If we allow it to fester there it will develop into not only thought patterns that are against our Holy God but into actions that defy His law.

Often the first expression we give to our sinful actions is the spoken word. If we allow ourselves to utter cruel or bitter or critical or unkind words to our fellow man, it will not be a great step to carry out those hostile words in antagonistic actions against him. If we entertain an illicit attraction in the recesses of our secret thoughts, it will require little provocation to carry out our lustful thoughts in adulterous action.

Because the mind that is in the grip of evil thoughts becomes the devil’s playground, he nurtures every seditious point of view that rears itself in rebellion against the stated will of our Holy God. To think the thoughts that contradict the law of the Lord is as grievous a sin as to commit the act, for as Proverbs 23:7 states clearly, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Unclean hands may cause physical illness, but an unclean heart can cause spiritual death. May we ever be mindful of the importance of guarding our hearts and allowing them to be pure by the washing of the blood of the Lamb. May we ever seek to allow the person we are in our inner-most being to be the person who is worthy to bow before the One who died to make us holy—and that can happen only if we allow Him full residence in our hearts and complete command of our minds.