What matters most?

What matters most?

For from the heart come evil thoughts . . .. These are what defile you. – Matthew 15:19-20

Matthew 15:1-20

 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?

 6 [Jesus said] you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

 7 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

 8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.

 9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

 10 And after He called the multitude to Him, He said to them, “Hear, and understand.

 11 “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth defiles the man.”

 18 “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.

 19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.

 20 “These are the things which defile the man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

What matters most in life?

What Matters Most In Life (adapted from Karen Salmansohn (www.notsalmon.com) and others.

1. It doesn’t matter how rich, talented, educated, cool or attractive you think you are. How you treat others ultimately tells all. Integrity matters most.

2. Don’t shrink your dreams. Super-size your courage and abilities

3. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn (Maya Angelou).

4. Good looks fade. But a good heart keeps you beautiful forever

5. A person becomes ten times more attractive, not by their looks, but by their acts of kindness, respect, honesty, and the loyalty they show

6. The best times of your life will be the small stuff. Tiny moments spent smiling with someone who touches your heart

7. Forgive them. All of your thems. The more thems you can forgive the lighter you’ll feel

8. Personality is the tip of the iceberg. Character is their true foundation

9. I don’t need a perfect life. I just want to be at peace, surrounded by good people who love me for who I are

10.What goes around comes around. Speak loving words. Do loving deeds

11. Life is short. Do the things which make you happy. And be with people who make you happy. Look for the good in every day- even if some days you have to look harder

12. Listen to your inner voice. It always knows the right choice. Don’t let it be drowned out by the voices and choices of others

13. Search your soul and spirit to know who you really are. “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken” (Oscar Wilde).

14. Contentment is not dependent on what you have. It’s based on the thoughts you have – and the habits you maintain most regularly (perfect24hours.com).

15. Every minute counts. Accept mistakes, learn from them, and create a better future (perfect24hours.com).

16. You will be content if you can discipline your mind to think positively (things that are above). You can do this by focusing on the valuable lessons being learned, the quality of people you love, and all that you’re grateful for attracting into your life (perfect24hours.com).

17 Master your daily habits. Do your best to do actions you are proud of. And behave with good morals, kindness, integrity, respect, loyalty, honesty, and love (perfect24hours.com).

What matters most to the Father?

As children of the King, we can have a different paradigm for life. We are not to focus on the external temporal values but rather on things of eternal value. Personal values and traditions are often in opposition to what matters most to the Father. “We obsess over appearances, rationalize while looking for loopholes in God’s clear commands. In doing so we violate the spirit of His law. Jesus said that “out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality.” Only God, through the righteousness of His Son Jesus, can give us a clean heart (Tim Gustafson).

“We must beware of allowing religious customs and church rituals to take precedence over the clear Word of God. Just because something has been done in a certain way for a long time, that doesn’t mean it pleases God” (Stanley).

Our physical appearance does not define us. Our outward appearance is not what really matters; it is our heart that matters. Jesus had strong words for those masters of appearances.

REFLECT & PRAY

If our motive is to impress others, we’re not impressing God (Amy Pye).

Father is so easy for me to desire to impress You and others through outward appearance or action. Encourage me to get my heart right before You.

INSIGHT

Human beings have a natural fondness for pomp and ceremony and ritual, and there’s nothing wrong with that – unless it begins to replace a genuine connection to the living God. Our Lord wants our hearts (Stanley).

The hyper-religious Pharisees challenged the Lord Jesus Christ and asked why His disciples had not washed their hands before eating. This is what their religious traditions required (Matthew 15:1-2).  

The Pharisees objected to the disciples’ disregard for the traditions of the elders. These rabbinic interpretations of Old Testament law accumulated over the centuries, the Halakah. . .. For the Pharisees, they carried almost as much authority, if not more authority, than the law itself (Moore).

Jesus retorted, “Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3).

Religious compliance has never been a good substitute for the kind of inner cleansing and beauty that the Lord Jesus Christ gives to the children of the King.

Hebrews 9:13-14

 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.

 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

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