It is so easy to focus on the externals, and never give the proper attention to the state of our hearts.

we try to focus on things from time to time in order to improve ourselves in a spiritual sense, but all too often we just get lost in the day to day stuff and lose that fragile focus. and so from the outpouring of our hearts, filth and dirt continues to flow. And still we live on feeling like we have taken the time needed, and because there was some minimal discomfort involved in our inner probing, we think we have done well.

but nothing changes & evil still takes place in the lives of those who should be shining brightly…

these evils are what tear us apart and hold us back from living a truly God-centered life. we do not respect God or ourselves enough to make the real efforts & make the real changes. in doing so, we do damage to the Kingdom and our witnesses daily, and the people we should be trying to influence for the sake of Jesus get a really skewed image of what it means to follow God. they see nothing different from us, and so they become disinterested in God.

Lord have mercy on us! we have misrepresented Your Son over and over again, and we either act like it was no big deal (we tell ourselves that we’re just human) and have no remorse in our hearts, or we act as though we had no choice in the matter. stir our hearts, O God, to repentance and humility and a real love for You that comes before all other things, people and desires.

Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.

Lord redeem my life as one of Your children.

Lord use me as a follower of Your Son.

Search my heart, O God, and see if there is any wicked way in me. Purify my heart, and lead me in the way everlasting.

amen.

(mark 7:20-23)