We pick up this story in Matthew 15 and Jesus is again confronting some Pharisees about their perspective about the disciples not washing their hands. Bottom line is they were angry because the disciples seemed to be ignoring these customs.
These few verses I think capture our leadership success or failure better than any other verse.
Matthew 15:15-20 (NLT)
Then Peter asked Jesus, "Explain what you meant when you said people aren't defiled by what they eat."
[16] "Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him. [17] "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body.
Even the Pharisees didn’t argue with that one!
[18] But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. [19] For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. [20] These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!"
If we have heart problems we will have leadership problems. Just as a healthy lung can’t cover for a bad heart good leadership, great with people doesn’t make up for a corrupt heart.
A. What’s inside ultimately gets reflected on the outside.
1. Our words reflect the condition of our hearts (v. 18).
When we say, “I didn’t mean that,” the truth is that we didn’t mean to say that, but . . . we meant it. It was in our hearts and slipped out. In those unguarded moments, our hearts are revealed.
2. Our actions reflect the condition of our hearts (v. 19).
In youth ministry, parents would say about their kids, “He’s got a good heart, he just got into a little trouble.”—WRONG. Your child’s heart is fouled up. It’s a heart problem, not just a behavioral problem.
More next time!
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