Ever notice how we treat one another when we drive? Recently a guy zoomed by me, expressed his displease with a finger, and yelled out the window. All for moving a bit too slow on an icy day. If we were walking down the street together, a slow down would engender an “excuse me,” or “beg your pardon.” But encase someone behind glass and steel and anger boils unchecked.

Jesus spoke to this tendency:

What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.

Jesus spoke these words to folks who strived to look good on the outside, to eat the proper foods and follow the rules. But deplorable actions continued to flow, despite their attempts to look good. Their hearts—our hearts—are bent toward selfishness and folly. We present well, but the core of our being gives us away.

The remedy? Allow the Holy Spirit free reign in our hearts to convict and cauterize the wound. When we begin to change from the inside, the outer and inner begin to match. Those around us start to notice, and we might even become kinder behind the wheel.

Mark 7 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Kathy