Hearts not Lips

Every day, I receive an email devotional.  This is today's - and I found it worthy
of posting it upon my blog, especially as we enter into Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They
worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men" (Matthew 15:8,
9).

You've heard people say:

"Talk is cheap."

"He's just giving lip-service."

"Put your money where your mouth is."

These sayings are all just ways to express that the words you speak have little
value if they are not followed up with action.

Even more than your fellow citizens, God is interested in the attitude of your
heart rather than your words.

God sees our hearts; He knows our thoughts; He discerns the attitudes and
motivations behind our actions.

When we say we love God, but haven't surrendered our will to Him, we are just like the Pharisees He
addressed in these verses from Matthew (also in Mark 7:6, 7
(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%207:6,%207;&version=31;)).

The Pharisees had become caught up in the rules they had created for daily life.
Their worship of God became an opportunity to show everyone how well they
followed the rules.   Thus, rather than worshipping God, they were merely
glorifying themselves. By focusing on external conduct they forgot that unlike
men, God looks at the heart:

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7
(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2016:7;&version=31;)).

"God does not judge by external appearance" (Galatians 2:6
(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%202:6;&version=31;)).

Let us be mindful of the fact that our words are meaningless to God if they
don't reflect a heart that is seeking Him.

God, I want my heart to be near to You. Thank you for this reminder that You are
more concerned with my thoughts and motivation than You are with my words.
Forgive me for trying to look good while harboring wrong attitudes in my heart.
Amen.

Questions: When you consider the frustration you have experienced when people
say what they think you want to hear without meaning it, how do you think God
feels toward us when we do the same thing?

STRIPPED

It is not until it is stripped of its leaves that you can see the peculiar characteristics of each individual tree: the massive and generous bough structure of the beech, the majesty of the oak, the straightness of the larch and the grace of the birch. And so it is with our friends. It is not until we have shared some great experience that we see one another as we really are. It is when the winters come and the big winds blow that superficialities and pretences are stripped away revealing the bare bones of true affection in all their strength and beauty.

~Patience Strong