Listen! Understand! What defiles? Mark 7:14,15

Good morning everyone! God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!
     Mark 7: ¹⁴ Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand.  ¹⁵ It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
      Take a moment to see what is being said here.  First, what happened?  Jesus called to the crowd. Then what did he say?  All of you listen - we have problems listening today. Now the clincher - "TRY TO UNDERSTAND."  Wow! Don't we all have troubles with understanding today.  We tend to understand what we wish to understand and blow past the rest with no understanding.
    This next part is important.  Jesus says it is not what we put into our body that defiles us, BUT, what comes from the heart. Double WOW!
    Where is your heart?  In the world?  Or given to Jesus?  To God?  The old expression of don't do what I do, do what I say.  How hypocritical and shallow.  We can give good lip service but cannot do it ourselves.  Sounds like the Pharisees of old.
    Psalm 51:12  ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."  We need to go back to the joy of salvation, and have a willing spirit.  A willing spirit to continue on; and then what?
   ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you."  Read this and absorb.  Don't just read words on a page, but, take it to heart.  We are to go forth and teach transgressors God's ways; God's mercy; God's salvation.  Have you shared the truth, the way and the life with anyone lately?  Why not? 
    Now, go forth and do the right thing!  Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
 Johnny