40 Days of Words | Day 8
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of Words
Day 8 | CLEAN | Matthew 15:11
40 Days of Words
Day 8 | CLEAN | Matthew 15:11
CLEAN
Matthew 15:11
“It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that makes him unclean and defiled, but what comes out of the mouth; this makes a man unclean and defiles [him].” (AMP)
We like clean. I remember my mom telling my sisters and me: “Wash your hands before dinner.” She probably said that every day… at least until we were either doing it automatically or got married and moved out! (I remember saying this to our kids too!) It was important to mom, and she probably learned it from her folks. Washing those hands made eating cleaner and probably stopped the passing of many germs between family members.
But this verse, spoken by Jesus, is talking about being defiled, which is something deeper, something worse.
The dictionary says "defile" can mean to "make unclean or impure, to corrupt, to debase, to sully one's reputation."
Dirty hands might last a meal, but to "defile one's reputation" can last a lifetime. (Think: Bernie Madoff.)
And how does Jesus say we can defile ourselves? By the words we speak. The false, evil, lying, harmful, manipulative words that sometimes come out of our mouths.
Now, in reality, we ALL have said things that – in hindsight – we wished we hadn't… words that were negative, unclean, and perhaps defiling.
Once said, they can hurt the one they're directed towards… but also have the potential to defile the one speaking, making them unclean.
Prayer: LORD, help me to use my words for good and not for evil. To speak words of encouragement and not discouragement. To speak words that YOU want me to say. Amen.
Matthew 15:11
“It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that makes him unclean and defiled, but what comes out of the mouth; this makes a man unclean and defiles [him].” (AMP)
We like clean. I remember my mom telling my sisters and me: “Wash your hands before dinner.” She probably said that every day… at least until we were either doing it automatically or got married and moved out! (I remember saying this to our kids too!) It was important to mom, and she probably learned it from her folks. Washing those hands made eating cleaner and probably stopped the passing of many germs between family members.
But this verse, spoken by Jesus, is talking about being defiled, which is something deeper, something worse.
The dictionary says "defile" can mean to "make unclean or impure, to corrupt, to debase, to sully one's reputation."
Dirty hands might last a meal, but to "defile one's reputation" can last a lifetime. (Think: Bernie Madoff.)
And how does Jesus say we can defile ourselves? By the words we speak. The false, evil, lying, harmful, manipulative words that sometimes come out of our mouths.
Now, in reality, we ALL have said things that – in hindsight – we wished we hadn't… words that were negative, unclean, and perhaps defiling.
Once said, they can hurt the one they're directed towards… but also have the potential to defile the one speaking, making them unclean.
Prayer: LORD, help me to use my words for good and not for evil. To speak words of encouragement and not discouragement. To speak words that YOU want me to say. Amen.
Recent
Categories
Archive
2025
January
40 DAYS OF NEW - 0340 DAYS OF NEW - 0440 DAYS OF NEW - 0540 DAYS OF NEW - 0640 DAYS OF NEW - 0740 DAYS OF NEW - 0840 DAYS OF NEW - 0940 DAYS OF NEW - 1040 DAYS OF NEW - 1140 DAYS OF NEW - 1240 DAYS OF NEW - 1340 DAYS OF NEW - 1440 DAYS OF NEW - 1540 DAYS OF NEW - 1640 DAYS OF NEW - 1740 DAYS OF NEW - 1840 DAYS OF NEW - 1940 DAYS OF NEW - 2040 DAYS OF NEW - 2140 DAYS OF NEW - 2240 DAYS OF NEW - 2340 DAYS OF NEW - 2440 DAYS OF NEW - 25
February
40 DAYS OF NEW - 2640 DAYS OF NEW - 2740 DAYS OF NEW - 2840 DAYS OF NEW - 2940 DAYS OF NEW - 3040 DAYS OF NEW - 3140 DAYS OF NEW - 3240 DAYS OF NEW - 3340 DAYS OF NEW - 3440 DAYS OF NEW - 3540 DAYS OF NEW - 3640 DAYS OF NEW - 3740 DAYS OF NEW - 3840 DAYS OF NEW - 3940 DAYS OF NEW - 4040 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0140 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0240 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0340 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0440 DAYS OF PROMISE - 05
March
40 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0640 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0740 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0840 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0940 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1040 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1140 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1240 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1340 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1440 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1540 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1640 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1740 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1840 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1940 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2040 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2140 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2240 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2340 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2440 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2540 DAYS OF PROMISE - 26
April
40 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2740 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2840 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2940 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3040 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3140 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3240 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3340 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3440 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3540 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3640 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3740 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3840 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3940 DAYS OF PROMISE - 4040 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0140 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0240 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0340 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0440 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0540 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0640 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0740 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 08
May
40 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0940 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1040 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1140 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1240 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1340 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1440 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1540 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1640 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1740 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1840 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1940 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 2040 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 2140 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 22