Who We Are

By Janet Peterson

How would you be described in ONE WORD?

"There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man." ( Mark 7:15)

When I was little girl, if I talked disrespectfully to my parents, they would threaten to wash my mouth out with soap. I'm sure it would have tasted awful! But one thing for sure it didn't do was wash away the attitude in my heart that caused sassy words to spew from my lips.

Jesus told the people:

"the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark 7:21-23)

Whew, that is some list! But why did Jesus take the time to name each one of those evils? We know that not one word in the Bible is wasted, so there is purpose behind Him listing each one to the crowd. Maybe there were folks there who looked good on the outside, but their hearts were unclean.

Perhaps, like me, they were not surprised when He mentioned murder, adultery, or theft. But I wonder what the reaction would have been if Jesus had included more hidden sins like arrogance, envy and greed too. The dictionary describes arrogance as "an offensive display of superiority or self-importance; or overbearing pride."

At first glance, we may think that doesn't apply to us. But if we let the Holy Spirit shine His search light on our heart, we may find times when we have thought, "Well, at least I'm not THAT bad," or "It's amazing her kids turned out as good as they did."

Envy is pretty sly at hiding in our hearts as well. It is the feeling of discontent with regards to other's success or belongings. Does your friend have a new car, great looks or a nice home? If so, do you ever look at him/her with jealousy and long for what he/she has? If so, that's envy. Ouch!

Then there is greed, the excessive desire for wealth or possessions. Maybe we don't think we are excessive in our want for more, but how much time do we spend trying to make more money or get more stuff? And how stingy are we with what we have?

Beloved, what would it look like to take those three definitions and clean them up?

• Un-arrogance: a gracious display of selflessness
• Un-envy: being completely content with all of our blessings
• Un-greed: a desire to share what God has given us

That sounds like a clean heart to me!

I make it a point to challenge myself with the words Jesus spoke, "It is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.'" and I set my mind to being un-arrogant, un-envious and un-greedy. Yes, today I want to live with a clean heart.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.... that I may reflect Jesus in my walking and my talking!