Mark 7

"Dear Beloved, During My ministry on earth, I talked about how important a person's heart is (Mark 7:1-23 is just one example.). The Jewish religious...."

"One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They noticed that some of his disciples failed to follow the..."

"Then [Jesus said to the religious leaders he had accused of being hypocrites], "You skillfully sidestep God's law in order to hold on to your own..."

"A deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to [Jesus], and the people begged Jesus to lay his hands on the man to heal him. Jesus led him away...."

"And then [Jesus] added, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual..."

"So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked [Jesus], "Why don't your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first..."

"Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn't keep it a....."

"Since [the woman who asked Jesus to cast the evil spirit out of her daughter] was a Gentile, born in Syrian Phoenicia, Jesus told her, "First I should..."

"Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. "Don't you..."

"[The Phoenician woman with the demon-possessed daughter] replied, "That's true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps...."

Do you need Jesus' help to hear? While many folks can hear, they often don't listen and refuse to hear the things they most need to hear.

"Right away a woman who had heard about [Jesus] came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast...."

"Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone [about his healing the deaf man], but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. They were....."

"Jesus left Tyre and went up to Sidon before going back to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns. A deaf man with a speech impediment was...."

"Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "All of you listen," he said, "and try to understand. It's not what goes into your body that defiles...."

How are you doing on your spiritual exercises? Worship is more than what happens every seventh day, it is all of our lives.

Obeying what God commanded and avoiding the things he condemns is important. However, the way we deal with them must involve our interior world! Phil Ware reminds that to become JesuShaped, we have to pay attention to our interior worlds, the world of our hearts, and not just religious externals.

Would it really be nice if we could really see what was on the inside of people — their hearts? Phil Ware challenges us to pursue the faithful love, righteous character, and gracious compassion of God from our hearts.

"And then [Jesus] added, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you.""

"[Jesus challenged the outward show of religiosity among religious people who were ignoring their inner need to be humble and pure before God. He said:] "Nothing..."

Inspirational illustration of Mark 7:15 -- 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.'

"Dear Disciple, I love all people. That's why I came. At the same time, I have to tell you something — and yes, I'm sorry to have to do this..."

Are you a none? Rubel Shelly reminds us that the group of those who claim none for religion is growing quickly in the U.S. and that they do so because they are are tired of the hypocrisy.

How could this happen? Rubel Shelly looks at how easily the religious of Jesus' day dismissed what he did and reminds us that it is still happening today.

Do we really have all these choices or is there only one choice? Righteousness is not a choice but it is defined by God and his will, not by popular culture, media, and we cannot compromise and or flirt with evil.