Yesterday I said something that revealed a bitter heart. I made a spiteful, catty, mean spirited and slanderous statement about someone. Vicki rightly rebuked my remark because it was a malign misstatement. I immediately recalled Jesus admonishing the Pharisees:

What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. Matthew 15:18-20

A religion that consists of external regulations is an easy religion. To attend church regularly, to give liberally to the church, to participate in community Bible study are activities that reflect Christian living but in themselves they are not Christian. Afterall, the devil can do all of these outward deeds.

Christianity is a heart thing. Christianity consists of a personal relationship with Christ, reverential trust and respect for God and benevolence toward our fellow-man.

We can lead an almost faultless life in externals while possessing bitter, evil thoughts in our heart.

What matters to God is not how we act, but why we act. A pure, loving heart is a Christian heart.