Watchword
10-11 He then called the crowd together and said, “Listen, and take this to heart. It’s not what you swallow that pollutes your life, but what you vomit up.” 12 Later his disciples came and told him, “Did you know how upset the Pharisees were when they heard what you said?” 13-14 Jesus shrugged it off. “Every tree that wasn’t planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its roots. Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.” 15 Peter said, “I don’t get it. Put it in plain language.” 16-20 Jesus replied, “You, too? Are you being willfully stupid? Don’t you know that anything that is swallowed works its way through the intestines and is finally defecated? But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It’s from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That’s what pollutes. Eating or not eating certain foods, washing or not washing your hands—that’s neither here nor there.” Matthew 15:10-20
Meditation:
Heart Disease
Twenty-eight years ago, while on a tour in Europe, I had a heart attack and ended up in a Belgian hospital for eight days before I was sent home to my cardiologist. Since then I’ve had one other such attack and have accumulated three stents in my heart. Earlier this year I had what was called a TAVR, an amazing procedure where they replaced the main valve of my heart without open-heart surgery. You can imagine that over these many years I have been more attentive to the condition of my heart and aware that I have a standing diagnosis of heart disease.
I learned a lot about my heart over the years but this most recent procedure, the replacement of the aortic valve, taught me one more thing: the healthy heart processes and oxygenates our blood which helps with clarity of thinking and the smooth operation of our cardiac vascular system. The surprising thing was I could see and feel a difference within hours after the procedure!
That’s one kind of heart condition, but there’s another that may be of greater importance in our day-to-day lives than the beating of our hearts. It’s the condition of our spiritual heart, and our attentiveness to the directions the Spirit provides that drives us to obedience or what separates us from God.
In Proverbs 4:20-23, the Spirit is telling us “to pay attention and to listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for the condition of your heart determines the course of your life.”
When we pay attention to the direction provided by the Holy Spirit, in effect, it works the same way when the heart oxygenates our blood to our good health. The Holy Spirit provides direction and clarity in our relationship with our Lord. It’s just common sense to know that what you eat is not related to your spirit of life, but what you say, think, and do, reveals the condition of your heart, your spiritual heart.
We keep our physical heart healthy through diet and being active. We keep our spiritual heart healthy by maintaining a close and personal relationship to our Lord and Savior. So be it with you.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, grant us the endurance to persevere through life’s trials and temptations. Help us to remain steadfast in our faith and trust in Your divine plan. Strengthen our hearts to overcome every obstacle. Amen.
