Thursday, August 25, 2016

THE PROBLEM WITHIN



A story is told of old Thomas K. Beecher, who could not bear deceit in any form. Finding that a clock in his church was habitually too fast or too slow, he hung a placard on the wall above it, reading in large letters: "Don't blame my hands - the trouble lies deeper."

That is where the trouble lies with us when our hands do wrong, or our feet, or our lips, or even our thoughts. The trouble lies so deep that only God's miracle power can deal with it.

- Christian Witness. (moreillustrations.com)

Mk 7:21-23 (GNT): “For from the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill, commit adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly - all these evil things come from inside you and make you unclean.”

We cannot cure a disease by attacking the symptoms. For example, pouring cold water over a person having fever won't work, (in fact, it aggravates the problem) medicine has to be taken internally.

The only way the sin-problem within can be treated is by crying out to the Lord Jesus: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” (Ps 51:10 RSV).

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