YOUR MOUTH AND HEART MUST BE ALIGNED

Mark 7:5-6 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

In the above scripture verses, Jesus addressed the religious leaders of His time who had come from Jerusalem to scrutinize His teachings and actions. In this encounter, they saw the disciples of Jesus eating bread without doing the traditional washing of hands, and they were appalled. They confronted Jesus with their accusation, and Jesus responded by rebuking them for their legalism

Since God inspired the Word, Jesus knew its’ genuine meaning, and He knew it was being misconstrued to suit men’s fancy and traditional customs. These religious leaders who wanted to appear holy and righteous by their words and actions in the sight of God and man fell short in obeying the Word of God to which Jesus exposed their failure.

Presently in our world, we witness the exact condemning nature by religious leaders and fellow believers. However, God, the righteous judge, wants more than men’s lip service. God honors obedience to all He has spoken, genuine praise and worship, and not empty words. Our lifestyle must be a godly reflection of what we say, and we cannot pick and choose what we want to follow. Finally, loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind will align our mouth and heart, producing fruit pleasing to God.