“It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” – Matthew 15:11

As followers of Jesus, it’s always a good time to check what’s coming out of our mouths (and fingertips in this digital age). Jesus warns us that in Christ, filthiness isn’t related to what we eat, but is strongly related to what we say. Whether it’s in public or private, out loud or online, what we say reflects the condition of our heart. Many of us have work to do!!!

If our written or spoken words are angry, hateful, obscene, belittling, profane, racially charged, untrue, or cruel toward others, we have a serious heart condition! We must reflect not only on our words in our “good moments” when we’re on “good behavior” but more importantly on what we say or type in our bad moments. What do we say when we’re mad, frustrated, disappointed, hurt, or taken by surprise? Those words reflect the true condition of our heart.

Christ died to make us new creations when we put our faith in Him. He died to cleanse the cesspools of our hearts! Part of our new creation must be a commitment to work with the Holy Spirit in the renovation and repair of our whole heart. As we become aware of the remaining filth that spews out of our mouths, we must confess it to God and ask for His Spirit to cleanse and transform our hearts until they match the heart of Jesus our Savior.

Will we ever reach that point? Not this side of heaven. However, we’re called to continually battle, pray, work, and repent in our effort to grow in the likeness of Jesus.

“He answered them, ‘And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?’” – Matthew 15:3

When we read the Bible, we tend to say to ourselves, “Silly old Pharisees!” We see them as the fools, foils, and villains of so many of the events and stories in the life of Jesus. We mustn’t settle for this shallow thinking, otherwise we’ll easily wind up like them!

The Pharisees passionately loved God and the Bible (the Old Testament part, of course). They loved God so much that they built mountains of extra rules and traditions on top of God’s commandments so they would never break God’s Law. Unfortunately, in the process, they elevated their traditions above God’s heart and will. Their deep adherence to small details caused profound disobedience to God. In so doing, they became the enemies of Christ we think of in such cartoonish terms today.

As Christians, we’ve often made exactly the same mistake as the Pharisees. We quite often elevate our traditions, preferences, habits, and practices to extraordinary levels while losing sight of God’s true calling and heart. We tend to focus and fight over worship times, music styles, clothing, and even carpet colors. All the while, the spiritually lost continue to face a Christ-less eternity of suffering!

We naturally tend to elevate what we’ve always done (that’s tradition, not Scripture) over the radical following of Jesus Christ. We must always teach and obey God’s Word, but we must also regularly and critically evaluate where we’ve elevated traditions over Christ Himself, preferences over faithfulness, and form over functional obedience to the Great Commission and Great Commandment. Never dismiss the Pharisees without first asking yourself if you’ve become one of them!

“After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile.” – Genesis 41:1

In our high-speed, no wait, immediate gratification 21st Century American culture, we get frustrated if we have to wait for two weeks. Yet, after God helped Joseph interpret the dreams of two high Egyptian officials, giving him the opportunity to build and “work his network”, Joseph still had to wait two more years in an Egyptian prison for the next step in God’s plan to unfold. Two years!

Can you imagine having the faith and patience to wait two years? In prison? Joseph certainly thought that helping Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer would be his big break, but then…nothing. The man completely forgot Joseph existed. And Joseph had to wait for two years. Because it wasn’t yet the right time.

We doubt God, grow frustrated with Him, and question His love, presence, goodness, and even existence when forced to wait for the answers to our prayers. However, the Bible is consistently clear: God moves on His timetable, not ours. His patience is infinitely greater than ours, as is His wisdom and understanding. While we think in terms of hours and days, God thinks in years and centuries.

It’s helpful to recognize those places in the Bible where faithful waiting is demonstrated, because they help us to stay patient and faithful as we wait for God’s next step in unfolding the plan for our lives. God is present with you. God has a plan and it is good. Rather than doubting God because He doesn’t move on your timetable, learn to love and pursue God as He helps you wait to move on His!

“But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” – Genesis 39:21

We might be inclined to become confused, frustrated, discouraged, and angry with God about being wrongly imprisoned. Joseph was imprisoned based on the false testimony of his master’s wife. However, Joseph’s time in prison was a key element of God’s unfolding plan to bless him personally, save the line of Messiah from starvation, save the nation of Egypt from starvation, and grow the family of Israel into a nation with whom He would one day covenant in the Wilderness. God’s plan of redemption for the entire world passed through that prison cell!

In the midst of an Egyptian prison, God was faithfully with Joseph, showing him steadfast love and blessing him. The Bible is very clear, that as followers of Christ, God won’t exempt us from hard times, injustice, and suffering. However, He will be with us through those hard times, faithfully loving and blessing us.

When we feel trapped in the prisons of life (literal or metaphorical), we shouldn’t merely focus on praying for release. We should learn to see and hear God’s voice in our ongoing trial. We must seek to grow in our awareness of His faithful presence, because He’s promised He is always with us. We should also be looking for the signs of what God is doing or will do with our time of suffering for His glory. God’s will may well be hard, but it’s also good, for He is good, kind, merciful, and faithful.

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” – Acts 20:24

Today we honor the life, work, and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was born into a society of deep racism and injustice that didn’t align to God’s will, God’s Word, or God’s heart. What he saw didn’t reflect God’s Kingdom here on earth. Rather than accept this, he committed his life to changing it no matter the personal cost. Dr. King and those with him didn’t change the world through force of arms, but by the power and strength of the Holy Spirit as so many of God’s children came together in prayer and peaceful action.

While Dr. King is widely celebrated today, as followers of Jesus, we are wise to remember that many who loved Jesus and the Bible stood in strident and even violent opposition to civil rights. Many Christians were on the wrong side of sinful injustice and ungodly history. They stood there because of attachment to earthly structures and vile distortions of Scripture. We must acknowledge this shameful history so that we do not repeat it in our own day!

The Bible commands us to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). Do our words, attitudes, assumptions, and actions truly reflect the Son of God and the Word of God? Are we working for a Kingdom-oriented society that reflects God’s heart for equality, brotherhood, justice, love, and mercy? Are there areas in which our thoughts remain so captive to patterns and strongholds of earthly sin that we’ve twisted Scripture to provide comfort for our sin rather than conviction?