| Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash
In Matthew 15, Jesus is teaching about the need for our private and public lives to be real! Do we act one way in church and another way at home or work? Do we act one way around our Christian friends and act another way with our school friends? How close are our private and public lives?
Jesus was talking to the religious people in Matthew 15 about the purity of their hearts. Jesus quotes from Isaiah and says in verses 8-11, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship is a farce (fake), for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen, ” he said, “And try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
How many religious people feel that they are okay because they act spiritual, religious, but that is all that it is, an act! God is not looking for acting, but for following Jesus! God is not looking for Sunday Christian’s, but looking for followers of Jesus! God is looking for our private lives and our public lives to be the same!
That is why we need to pray as David prayed: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
Today, help me to have a heart that is right with You! Lord, help me to be the same in my private and public life. A man who follows Jesus completely!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Center (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
