How is your Heart Today?

Scripture:  Luke 11:37-41
37 While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and  wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you.

Jesus with the Pharisees
paulines.ph

Reflection: How many people do you know who are active in church and practice the daily rituals of religion, but do not live the values of Christ? All of us, in one way or another, are guilty of calling ourselves Christians but do deeds contrary to Jesus' teachings. We think that faithfully attending church services and being active in church activities is enough to have a vibrant spiritual life. Worse, many of us use our religious activities to impress other people, to give the impression of our "holiness" and closeness to God. There is nothing wrong with religious rituals and activities, it is a part of our faith. But if more importance is given to these than to living out our faith, then something is wrong. 

If our heart is filled with pride, greed, bitterness, and envy, then our words and actions would reflect that.  It is for this reason that God considers what's in your heart as more important than external acts of piety. If we go to church daily and attend all services on that day but do not cleanse our hearts from all that is contrary to God, then God is not pleased with us. God sees what's in our hearts, and He desires to drive away all obstacles of sin and fill us with love, mercy, compassion and kindness so that we may be His blessings to others.

Holiness comes from within. To have a heart filled with goodness and love, we cannot do it alone, we need God to fill us up with grace. Let us examine what is in our hearts, is it filled with greed or generosity?Bitterness or gratitude? Envy or kindness?  Remember that God sees what's within.