Mark 7:14-23 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. ¹⁵Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” ^[16]^[a] ¹⁷After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. ¹⁸“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?¹⁹For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) ²⁰He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. ²¹For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, ²²adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. ²³All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

In the Jewish tradition, ceremonial cleanliness was crucial to worship. Among some African tribes some foods are forbidden. Do you know some Christians who also think it wrong to eat certain foods? How would you respond to such in light of the comment in verse.19 (compare Peter’s vision in Acts 10:9-15, and 11:1-18).

This however, does not mean we can eat just anything. We need to avoid eating some food on medical grounds. And sometimes, what we can eat and not eat depends on each person’s medical state, for example whether you are diabetic or hypertensive.

In verse 20-23, we note the list of vices that defile us. It is clear that our hearts first conceive these vices before they are executed either through what we say or do. We need to be careful what we store up in our hearts, “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say” (Matthew 12:34 NLT). What we choose to see and/or hear contributes to what fills our hearts. For example, watching pornographic or violent movies can fill ones heart with evil thoughts. On the other hand, faithful reading of and obeying God’s word and Christian or other wholesome literature will fill us with godly thoughts. See Philippians 4:8

Also Read: Right Channel

What next? Read the Bible often that your heart may be richly filled with God’s word (Colossians 3:16).

Prayer: Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Lord, so I may avoid anything that will grieve You.

This is Daily Guide’s Topic on Sunday 17^th February, 2019.

So, holiness is not by how many times you wash your hands a day before eating, neither is it by what you eat or what do not eat. For instance, I don't eat fresh cat fish not because it is a sin but because it is not good for my health, having this understanding, I stay away from eating it no matter how good it tastes or who made it for my health's sake. Holiness is from the heart, your thoughts and emotions and things you do as a result of the state of your heart. Be guided!