Today we read Mark 7:1-23.

The religious leaders of Jesus’s time were all hung up on a rule based religion. They believed if they did x,y, and z they would be doing the will of God. But Jesus pointed out the sad state of their spiritual hearts. Their hearts were far from God:

“He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭7‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Their lives gave evidence of what was inside of their hearts — “sexual immorality, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.” (Verse 20) What was coming out of them by what they said and how they lived (what they did) displayed what was in their spiritual hearts.

It wasn’t breaking all their manmade traditions that kept them from being close to God. It was their hard spiritual hearts that were full of sin. What was coming from inside their hearts was defiling them. (Verse 23)

The religious leaders thought that God, the Heavenly Father, wanted them to “jump through hoops” to be accepted by Him and earn His favor. But Jesus told them, their issue was “a heart condition.”

Once Jesus was asked what the Greatest Commandment was. He told the religious leaders plainly:

““Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭36‬-‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Our Heavenly Father desires for us to LOVE Him with all that we are and all that we have! He desires for our hearts to be His!

Jesus displayed to us how much the Heavenly Father loves us when He gave Himself — entirely, totally, and completely — on the cross. Jesus shows us a Heavenly Father that desires all of our spiritual heart — entirely, totally, and completely in return. He wants to take that heart and transform it to reflect Himself — His love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, self control.

Is my heart completely His? Or Is my heart far from Him?