Scripture: Mark 7:6 ... “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’”
Devotional: Hypocrisy. It’s cited as one of the main reasons people depart from faith. And kids can detect it from miles away.
If you want to help your kids love God, that may well start with checking your own levels of hypocrisy. Are you living an integrated life? Are your actions in line with what you say you believe? When it comes to parenting more is caught than is taught. Your kids are watching what you do, not necessarily listening to what you say.
None of us are perfect in this, of course. But we could do well to check our own hearts, just as King David did when he prayed: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 ESV)
So, take a moment to take inventory of the consistency of your professing of faith and your heart toward God and toward others. Are these aligned in your life?
Reflect:
- Examine the areas in your life where you may be experiencing a disintegrated heart. Pray David’s prayer, asking God’s forgiveness and cleansing.