Editors note: This devotional is taken from the archives of Gospel of Mark, chapter 7.

“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:

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 us 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!

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

PRAYER:
Father God thank you, you love us so much that you sent your only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. I love you Lord. Thank you Father God for your Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus thank you for loving me so much. Thank you Jesus, you will take care of my problems. Nothing is too hard for you. For many of us Lord, we face many obstacles in life whether it be Spiritual, financial, marital, emotional, physical, or educational problems. We turn these problems and the prayer requests to you. Thank you Lord you never fail to answer our prayers. Just because we don't understand does not mean you didn't answer our prayers. Thanks Lord for cleansing us by your precious Blood. Please come into my heart Jesus. Please forgive my sins. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart. Thank you Jesus for making my heart, your home. Thank you Jesus for living in me. I will live for you Jesus and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I pray right now for the one who is so troubled that only your presence and love can meet them where they are at. Come Lord Jesus and please intervene in their life. Cover them with your awesome presence and help them through what they are going. Thank you Jesus as you saw the disciples in trouble and came to their rescue, you can come to our rescue too. We entrust our lives in your care. Thank you for the answer and you will carry us! IN YOUR NAME, I PRAY JESUS THANKING YOU FOR EVERYTHING. AMEN.

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!

Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!

As the movie DaVinci Code opened across the theaters on May 19, 2006, which speaks against the church and most importantly degrades the Name of Jesus Christ, we need to make ourselves available to speak the truth to the falsity presented in the movie and the novel. If you plan to watch the movie or have read the book and have questions or your faith seems to be shaken, please email me or give me a call at 412-720-4579 so we can discuss the false claims in the book that are presented as fact even though the book itself and the movie is presented as fiction. May the Lord bless you and guide you!

If you need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this  Summer of 2006, you can email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579. Please do not hesitate. One-one Bible studies can be so powerful too because the Holy Spirit is still in the midst.

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

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