Prayer
Briefly prepare your heart in silence, and ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your sense of anticipation that God is about to speak to you through His Word. Then, before you read, I invite you to pray this prayer based on Psalm 51:10
Lord, as I read Your Word today, speak to me.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Amen.
Reading
These two graphic rebukes must surely have been some of the hardest words to hear from Jesus. Of course, we know that He was speaking to a particular group of people at a particular time. He was specifically calling them out for the hypocrisy He knew was present in their lives. But let’s be honest. For any human being to hear these words would be really tough.
To believe sincerely that you are doing well in your “religious life” and then have Jesus diagnose you as looking good on the outside but being full of greed, self-indulgence and wickedness inside would be a very tough pill to swallow! And to respond to His words in a positive way would require deep, deep humility. But if those words are actually true of any of us, we need to hear them, and we desperately need to respond to them in humble repentance.
As I’m sure was the case for the pharisees and teachers of the law, the vast majority of us today believe that we are sincere and honest in our pursuit of God. Our knee-jerk reaction to any accusation of hypocrisy would normally be to jump to our own defence very quickly. But to grow in holiness and obedience to Jesus, it is good to take a long hard look inside ourselves every now and then, and to check the true state of our hearts. Our spiritual life and wellbeing depend on it, because only coming to see and acknowledge the truth about ourselves will position us for Jesus to set us free.
So, would you heed the warning Jesus gave His listeners that day, and would you take time today to honestly examine your own heart and life under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to show you the state of your heart, and to lead you to an awareness of the changes you might need to make to become more like Jesus from the inside out.
Contemplation
Please take time to ponder what Jesus has commanded us. Turn one or more of these declarations over and over in your mind. Keep them in mind throughout the day and live in step with Your King, Jesus.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ:
- I will honestly check my heart for impurities (like greed, self-indulgence or other forms of wickedness).
- I will surrender to the Holy Spirit’s ministry of purifying my heart and transforming me from the inside out.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Make me worthy of my King, Jesus. Amen.
Dave's Diary 
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