Mark 7:5-8. It seems amazing, how on the one hand words can have great power in building up or in tearing down others; but on the other how they at times can be so utterly meaningless. In our Scripture, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law about how they set aside God' s commands and observed their own traditions instead. Think about this: Is it possible for the observance of what was right and proper in keeping with God's commands to become so much a habit that it becomes the keeping of the tradition rather than the observing of God's command? Is it possible for two people to go through exactly the same motions and come out in two completely different places? What makes the difference? Let's look back at our Scripture. The problem was: the disciples didn't wash their hands before they ate. There was a hand washing ceremony that the priests went through before they could serve in the temple. At the heart of it it symbolized the cleansing that can only come from God. To the Pharisees the importance was the going through the motions of washing rather than any idea of submission to God and His commands. We need to ask the question: Where is my heart plugged in? It is possible for things that at one time had brought us so close to God, to become so ritualistic that if God stepped out of the way, we would never know the difference. With some, they learn the language, the songs, the testimonies, the right words; but there has never been a heart relationship with God. Jesus took care of all the legal moves on the cross. God wants us through Jesus to love Him for who He is. He wants to love us for what He is making us to become. And when we keep His commands the motivation is because we love Him and trust Him to know what is best for us. Let our relationship to Him give the real meaning to the Words we say.

Words Carelessly Spoken