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A Heart Right by God
How pure of heart do you think you are? Matthew 15:19 gives us a shocking revelation. Jesus Christ says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slandering.” You might say, “Oh no, not me. How can this be? I am not that bad… evil thoughts, murder? Lord, you must be referring to someone else!” In this particular Matthean verse, Jesus was talking about the Pharisees and how fervent they were to follow their own man-made traditions rather than obeying the commands of God. They were so hooked up on looking good on the outside rather than following God’s law.
How about us today? Have we really changed? Could some of our ways be Pharisaical? In the same gospel, Christ made more shocking statements. He said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The Pharisees made a show of obeying the Ten Commandments, but their hearts were far from true surrender and faith in God. Jesus exposed what was in their hearts by saying, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not commit murder.’ And anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, that anyone angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” (Matthew 5:21-22) He also said, “Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
What Jesus meant was that no one can meet God’s standards of perfection and holiness, or go to heaven on one’s own merit. That is why we need Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, who took the punishment for our sins on the Cross to rescue us from hell, open the gates of His Kingdom to us, give us new hearts to love and obey God.
Have you received Jesus in your heart as Lord and Savior? If not, please e-mail our Prayer Center at prayforme@cbnasia.org and ask how you can do so. The Kingdom of God is not about religion, it is about having a relationship with the King of Kings. He is ready to set up His throne in your heart and life.
How pure of heart do you think you are? Matthew 15:19 gives us a shocking revelation. Jesus Christ says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slandering.” You might say, “Oh no, not me. How can this be? I am not that bad… evil thoughts, murder? Lord, you must be referring to someone else!” In this particular Matthean verse, Jesus was talking about the Pharisees and how fervent they were to follow their own man-made traditions rather than obeying the commands of God. They were so hooked up on looking good on the outside rather than following God’s law.
How about us today? Have we really changed? Could some of our ways be Pharisaical? In the same gospel, Christ made more shocking statements. He said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The Pharisees made a show of obeying the Ten Commandments, but their hearts were far from true surrender and faith in God. Jesus exposed what was in their hearts by saying, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not commit murder.’ And anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you, that anyone angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” (Matthew 5:21-22) He also said, “Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
What Jesus meant was that no one can meet God’s standards of perfection and holiness, or go to heaven on one’s own merit. That is why we need Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, who took the punishment for our sins on the Cross to rescue us from hell, open the gates of His Kingdom to us, give us new hearts to love and obey God.
Have you received Jesus in your heart as Lord and Savior? If not, please e-mail our Prayer Center at prayforme@cbnasia.org and ask how you can do so. The Kingdom of God is not about religion, it is about having a relationship with the King of Kings. He is ready to set up His throne in your heart and life.
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About this Plan
Engage in a personal reflection and conversation with God as you read through His words. Join Peter Kairuz (host of The 700 Club Asia) and together let us examine our hearts today.
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We would like to thank CBN Asia and Peter Kairuz for providing this devotional. For more information, please visit: http://www.cbnasia.org/peterkairuz
