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Editors note: This is part of  the devotional I had with the Lord this morning/afternoon of August 23, 05 that I wanted to share with you all! If the questions or statements can be used as Bible study guides or discussion questions feel free to use them.

Quiet Times: (Psalm 83, Proverbs 23, and Mark 7:14-19)

"Don't refuse to accept criticism; get all the help you can get." (Proverbs 23:12, TLB)

“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'” (Mark 7:14-16, NIV)

Observation:

I asked myself what interaction Jesus has with the crowds.

Jesus had four points of interaction with the crowd:

1. Listen to me everyone,

2. Understand this….

3. Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him.

4. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean’

Interpretation:

I asked myself what Jesus meant by points of interaction 3 & 4.

The answer was revealed to the disciples who took the initiative and asked Jesus about the parable.

“After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") (Mark 7:17-19, NIV)

I asked myself the significance of Jesus’ statement.

Jesus was telling his disciples that the food they eat will not make them unclean but they should be more concerned about what goes into the heart for whatever goes into their stomach comes out of their body but what goes into the heart stays there until it is cleaned.

Implications:

I saw important implications for my own life. Jesus was declaring all foods Kosher and blessed by Him. When Jesus declared all foods “clean”, Jesus was showing His disciples that He has the authority to do that. That is so awesome to know for God is the One that gave the law and it is God-incarnate that is speaking to the disciples to make them realize there are more things to be concerned about when it comes to ‘cleanliness’ or ‘un-cleanliness’ than the food that goes into a person’s body.

It was important for me to realize that Jesus started addressing the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law first regarding their questions of ‘cleanliness’ regarding His disciples. They felt that the disciples did not wash their hands as tradition states so if they touched any food, that food would become automatically unclean. However, Jesus told the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law that the ritual they did for the sake of keeping their own traditions had nothing to do with whether a person remains clean or unclean. It is not even the food that goes into them that makes them unclean

Jesus is more concerned with my heart than what I eat or don’t eat. However, Jesus still does not want any of us to engage in gluttony thinking we can eat whatever we want.

I ask you now dear friend, what makes you clean?

Dear friend, what makes us clean is not the food we eat according to God’s standards but what is in our heart. It is the heart life that can pollute us if we are not careful where we have our thoughts focused on. The best way to be clean is inviting Jesus Christ into our heart and having Him clean it out for us. He will do that for us!  When we mess up or make boo boos, He can vacuum our heart for us and bring it back to where it should be as we confess and repent of our sin. Friend, He wants to do that for us. He wants to make us clean and renew a right spirit within us. However, we need to ask Jesus to clean us His way. It will not always be easy but Jesus is the only Way to be truly clean.

Won’t you do that friend?

Won’t you allow Jesus to come in and transform your heart?

When that happens, you will come to see the differences between the heart that does not have Jesus ruling and the heart that has Jesus as the title deed owner of our lives. I know I want Jesus to be in me and guide and lead me. He has already through the years and when I have messed up and gone to Him, He has cleaned out my messy rooms. He can do that for you too. Yes, He can friend!

May you come to receive Christ’s love everyday, accept now!

“Christ’s Love Everyday Accept Now!” (C.L.E.A.N)/”What makes you clean?”

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much you wanted the crowds to listen to you and understand, for you had important things to tell them. Later on, when your disciples asked you about it, you explained to them to help them see the food they eat is not what makes them unclean. Thank you so much Jesus, you love us so much and want to be there for us. Thank you for dying on the cross and coming back to life to save us. Help me Oh Lord and each of us to hold on to you. Thank you for your cleansing blood to wash us whiter than snow. When a carpet is dirty, people use carpet shampoo to clean it out. When our heart is dirty with yuckiness, we have your blood to cleanse and us make us pure as we allow you to clean us. So, Jesus right now please forgive us all our sins and clean us Oh Lord. Create in us a clean  heart Oh Lord and renew a right spirit within us. We are sorry for the times we have messed up! We need your help. Thank you for helping us. We ask you now Jesus to come into our heart and make our heart your home. Live in us Jesus and help us to live for you and serve you the rest of the days of our lives. Thank you so much Jesus for doing that. We entrust our lives to thee and acknowledge thee as our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you for being our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life, digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life. I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit! I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way, Turth, and Life to Eternal Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

(You can start your Christian adventure by reading the Gospel of John)

Friend you may feel something or may not feeling anything but do not go by your feelings. When you ask Jesus to come into your life, He will and does. He will take over from here as you depend on the Lord and let Him work in you and through you! This is exciting friend! May each one that came to know Jesus be filled with His Holy Spirit forever more and those that know Jesus come to know Him more and more! Amen!

P.S.. If you need someone to talk to, pray with, or have a  Bible study, you can email me at reddy4HisGlory2004@yahoo.com and we can set up a time that is convenient for you! You can also call me at 412-720-4579

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