Wednesday 9 Feb 2022

February 9: Mark 7:14-23

Key Verse: Mark 7:15
Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.

Devotion:
I wonder how many things mankind has not understood about God and how many times we have gone off and done the wrong thing because we thought it was right rather than actually hearing correctly! When Jesus was faced with people trying to tell Him what His disciples or Him could or couldn’t eat, He told them a truth...

We get annoyed when people eat things we don’t agree with, or when they drink things they should not – because we expect people to act in a certain way and when they don’t we get upset because they are different. I know there are a few foods I will not eat because I either don’t like the thought of eating them, or I don’t like the taste or smell; but I also know there are others out there who think those foods are delicacies or they actually like them… Who am I to judge!

Some people may use this verse as an excuse to drink too much or eat things they know will upset others. What Jesus is reminding us of here is we are not defiled by what we eat or drink but by what we say or do! If we drink too much we are very likely to say or do something which will upset others. If we eat certain foods on purpose in front of others, we are intentionally upsetting them by doing so!

God wants us to love our neighbours. This means watching out for other people’s likes and dislikes and not going against them on purpose; even if we only do so because we are drunk! We have gone out of our way to do so and when we upset others we have already used the drink as an excuse to do wrong to others...

Points to Ponder:
Do you eat or drink things you know others don’t like you doing?

Have you ever thought about their feelings instead of your own?