Mark: Just follow your heart?

“Just follow your heart.”

This could be some of the worst advice we could ever give or receive. On the surface it seems quite nice and good, and I’m sure the purpose behind it is to bring peace and contentment. “Follow your heart.” “Do what you think is best, what makes you feel good.” We want to encourage and empower people, give them the freedom to be their own boss, the author of their own story.

The problem with this statement is that it assumes that at the root our hearts are good, that given the choice we will always choose the right path to take. But that just isn’t the case. In fact, Jesus, the one who has created us and knows us perfectly, who also knows the state of His creation, said that our main problem is actually a heart issue. In Mark 7 Jesus is talking with the disciples about what makes a person clean or unclean — they were just arguing with the Pharisees about this — and Jesus tells them, “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come.” It’s out of our hearts, our sinful nature, that we say or think things that are harmful. It’s our actions that originate from within us that are what alienate us from God. This is what defiles us and makes us unclean. This is what stands between us and God.

Thankfully there is a better way, the only way. Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice, has made a way for us to be redeemed and reunited with God. By His shed blood on the cross we can be set free and forgiven of our sins. All He asks is that we trust and follow Him. And that is the best advice that we could ever give:

“Just follow Jesus.”

I hope that you’ll be able to join us this coming Sunday at our weekly gathering as we look at this passage (Mark 7:1-23) more in depth. If you are coming out be sure to read it over a few times before Sunday.

Coming up two Sundays from now (May 6th) we are going to have a special night of music and stories from a friend of The Centre, Darin Martin. Darin is a worship pastor from Hamilton, Ontario who has also done youth ministry, church planting, as well as music ministry. It will be a wonderful night of celebrating our God!  I hope you can make it out!

Blessings,

Pastor Mike