Romans 2:29
New Living Translation (NLT)
29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise[a] from God, not from people.
There are so many competitive shows on TV now; so much so that I can’t keep up with all of them: American’s Next Top Model, the Next Top Chef, American Idol, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars…every week we are watching to see who made the cut based upon their performance.
In life, we too are trying to make the cut through our performances; whether it’s making the team, meeting a deadline, trying to get the job or keep the job, we are all trying to make the cut. Many times we are judged by what we can produce and sometimes if we receive grace we are judged on our potential to produce.
But when it comes to God he judges a little more different than we do. He’s kind of like the judges on the “Voice” where they turn their chairs around to hear the voice before they see the person. God looks at our hearts before he judges our appearance. God told the prophet Samuel when he was looking for the next top King, “Where you mess up is that man looks at the outer appearance and God looks at the heart first.” That’s why lady justice has a blindfold on, because Justice is supposed to be blind, that is we are supposed to look a person’s motives, extenuating circumstances, and the evidence before we come to a verdict and make the cut.
The early Jewish Christians were all about appearances or having a form of godliness which included circumcision. There was a group of them who felt like you were not a legitimate believer if you hadn’t made the cut of circumcision. Some of them had made the physical cut but their hearts were far from being change.
In order to make the cut or to be an authentic believer of Jesus Christ means that:
You have my permission to work on my heart. Don’t let me waste energy cutting on my outside when it’s my insides that need attention. Change me from the inside out.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
New Living Translation (NLT)
29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise[a] from God, not from people.
There are so many competitive shows on TV now; so much so that I can’t keep up with all of them: American’s Next Top Model, the Next Top Chef, American Idol, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars…every week we are watching to see who made the cut based upon their performance.
In life, we too are trying to make the cut through our performances; whether it’s making the team, meeting a deadline, trying to get the job or keep the job, we are all trying to make the cut. Many times we are judged by what we can produce and sometimes if we receive grace we are judged on our potential to produce.
But when it comes to God he judges a little more different than we do. He’s kind of like the judges on the “Voice” where they turn their chairs around to hear the voice before they see the person. God looks at our hearts before he judges our appearance. God told the prophet Samuel when he was looking for the next top King, “Where you mess up is that man looks at the outer appearance and God looks at the heart first.” That’s why lady justice has a blindfold on, because Justice is supposed to be blind, that is we are supposed to look a person’s motives, extenuating circumstances, and the evidence before we come to a verdict and make the cut.
The early Jewish Christians were all about appearances or having a form of godliness which included circumcision. There was a group of them who felt like you were not a legitimate believer if you hadn’t made the cut of circumcision. Some of them had made the physical cut but their hearts were far from being change.
In order to make the cut or to be an authentic believer of Jesus Christ means that:
- Your heart has to be right with God. Jesus said, “Many of you say you love God but your heart is far from him.” Jesus also said that it is not what goes in a man that defiles him but what comes out of his heart.
- Your heart has to be changed. The Holy Spirit begins to transform your character after you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
- You start seeking approval from God instead of looking for people to accept you.
You have my permission to work on my heart. Don’t let me waste energy cutting on my outside when it’s my insides that need attention. Change me from the inside out.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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