Inner Purity

"What comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean'"~Matt15:6b
I think about my life and how much of a rule follower I am. But sometimes rules inhibit us to what we truly are called to do. Sometimes rules keep us from knowing the truth and acting on it. I find myself guilty of seeing things in black in white. Especially when it comes to my faith. You're either in or you're out. You either believe or don't believe. Although this may be true, I also tend to treat the person that way too. Jesus teaches of compassion for others, especially those who have not found Him yet. I need to remember to have compassion for others. Even with God front and center in my life, He wouldn't want me to shove everyone else in my life aside...

Family, Our Biggest Critic

Matthew 13:55-58 talks about Jesus coming back to his hometown to teach as he has in the other cities. But because he grew up in Nazareth, the townspeople knew his family and knew Jesus as a young boy. So believing in Jesus even as a prophet was difficult for them. They lacked faith and because of this they missed the experience of the Messiah, the One who was sent down to save us. These were his own family and friends. I found this interesting because as a new Christian, I face this with my own family members and friends who are nonChristian. They are the least to believe in what we say because they know "where we come from". And if they notice this change, we must be brainwashed. It's relieving to know Jesus has gone through the same thing too. My hopes is that our relationship with our families and friends change by our love and faith in Jesus Christ.