Create in us a clean heart so that all that we say and do will honor you. Heavenly Father, we know that it is important to have clean hands, but even more important to have a clean heart. Out of your hearts come evil thoughts, greed, cheating, and envy. It's not what goes into your body that makes you unclean, it is the bad words that come out of your mouth. Jesus called the crowd to gather around and listen to what he had to say. They were more concerned with following the traditions of men than they were with following the Word of God. He was saying that the Pharisees thought that clean hands were more important than a clean heart. Jesus wasn’t saying that washing our hands is not important. He answered them by saying, 'You hypocrites! You are the people the prophet Isaiah wrote about when he said, 'You ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.'' Jesus knew the hearts of the people who were complaining about his disciples’ unwashed hands. They asked Jesus, 'Why don’t your disciples follow our tradition? They eat without first following our hand-washing ceremony.' Jesus responded to the people who questioned him, but his answer was not what they wanted to hear. One day a group of Pharisees noticed that some of Jesus’s disciples were eating without first washing their hands. It is important to have clean hands before we eat, isn’t it? It is a good idea to use soap or a hand sanitizer to make sure we get rid of those germs you can't see. Even when our hands look clean, they have germs on them that can make us sick. As I sat down at my place at the dinner table, my mother would almost always ask, 'Did you wash your hands?' I must confess that sometimes I would answer, 'Yes' when the truth of the matter was that I had come straight to the dinner table without washing my hands.ĭo you always wash your hands before you eat? (Allow the children to answer.) Clean hands are one of the most important ways to help us stay healthy. Many times I had been outside playing and my hands were quite dirty. False speaking will shut any man out of heaven, for a liar shall not enter into God's house, whatever may be his professions or doings.I remember times when I was a child that my mother would call out, 'Dinner is ready!' and we would all gather at the dinner table. The Christian man's word is his only oath but that is as good as twenty oaths of other men. ' Does not swear deceitfully.' The saints are men of honor still. Does the world satisfy you? Then you have your reward and portion in this life make much of it, for you will know no other joy. Jeremiah 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me. He who is content with husks will be reckoned with the swine. Psalm 24:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. The worldling lifts up his soul in carnal delights, which are mere empty vanities but the saint loves more substantial things like Jehoshaphat, he is lifted up in the ways of the Lord. The man who is born for heaven ' does not lift up his soul to what is false.' All men have their joys by which their souls are lifted up.

The pure in heart shall see God all others are but blind bats. The very life of our being lies in the inner nature, and hence the imperative need of purity within. We may wash the outside of the cup and the plate as long as we please, but if the inward parts be filthy, we are filthy altogether in the sight of God, for our hearts are more truly ourselves than our hands are. But ' clean hands' will not suffice unless they are connected with ' a pure heart.' True religion is heart-work. If our hands are not clean, let us wash them in Jesus' precious blood, and so let us lift up pure hands unto God. It is to be feared that many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as to treat good works with contempt if so, they will receive everlasting contempt at the last great day. Outward practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace.

Clean hands pure heart upper room