Are you unclean?

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Are you unclean?

In Leviticus 11, people were told that certain foods were unclean. Those included various animals that walked on all fours, had cleft hooves, or in the case of fish, didn’t have fins or scales. He goes on to list several different insects, also.

These prohibitions were said to make whoever ate them (or touched the carcasses of them) ceremonially unclean until the evening, even if they washed their clothes. God wanted them to be holy, and He forbade them from eating (and touching) them.

So you’re probably asking yourself: “What does that have to do with me?”?

In today’s society, we have adequate means to disinfect and sterilize these foods, so we don’t restrict ourselves (as a whole) from eating them.

Here’s another reference that sheds light on this:

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

Romans 14: 17-23

Basically, it boils down to not judging people for what they eat or don’t eat. It really doesn’t matter, as long as what you are doing comes from a faith perspective.

Anyway, it’s not what goes into our mouths that is sin, it’s what comes out of it.

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said,?“Listen and understand.?What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

Matthew 15:10

“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body??But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.?For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Matthew 15:17-20

Examine yourselves today, and make sure that what comes out of your mouths is spoken from what is in your heart. If it isn’t what you want it to be, ask Jesus to help you to have a clean heart.

_______________________________________________

*** Today's flowers are yellow day lilies from my LinkedIn source. ***

_______________________________________________

Please let me know if you'd like to be tagged in these posts going forward.

#flower?#flowerphotography?#flowerlovers?#flowerslovers?#flowers?#floral #faith #patience #peace #resurrection #inspiration #kindness #helpinghand #help #share #blessings #prayer #grace #mercy #love #service #purpose #love #respect #time #seasons #life #god #jesus #thankful #gift #christ #gratitude #integrity #forgiveness