Thought for the Day "Tea Bags in Hot Water

Tea Bags In Hot Water
What Comes Out When the Bag Burst?
Mark 7:20 - 23

Like most East Texas natives, I love sweet tea. I can drink a gallon a day if it were there. I was boiling a couple of tea bags as I stepped away for a few moments. I returned in just about five minutes to find that the tea bags had busted and tea grounds were all over the boiler. Now, I had a mess! Sure the tea could be drunk as soon as I put it into a gallon pitcher, through a strainer, and add a cup and a half of sugar, but what a mess! I just hate when that happens.
As I looked at that boiler of tea grounds it occurred to me that man is no different than those tea bags. Think about it for a minute; if our lives were represented by the tea bags and the world was the pot of water we could probably make the analogy. Tea bags do not bust in cold water. However, put it into a pot of boiling water and watch those bags bust wide open in about five minutes.
In Mark 7:20 -23, we find that Jesus said, “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders. Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Jesus was careful to show that this is what is inside of men. Until God convicts a man of his sin, they don’t’ see anything wrong with their lifestyle. Man justifies it before themselves and only before themselves, because we cannot justify it to God. God hates sin! (Proverbs 6:16-19). Isaiah said, in Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;” We have to understand that these rags he was comparing sin too were what came off of lepers’ sores. They were full of corruptions and they smelled terrible. This boiler full of tea grounds looked awful, but not as awful as sin does to God. Man is not righteous before God without Jesus!
So, where did the awful sin come from in man? It is simple. We were conceived in sin. David said, in Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Because of our sin our heart is unclean. All these sins that are mentioned in Mark 7:20 – 23 are in every man’s heart. When we think bad thoughts of someone we might need to think about what we are doing. In Proverbs 23:7 Solomon wrote, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:”
Many people, even people who claim salvation, have a big issue. This sin, though well hidden from some people, is never hid from the Lord. When we get put in hot water, or wrong situations, the bag busts and all the grounds are shown. Funny thing though, just as the tea bags, the grounds can be seen all the time. That must be what Moses was talking about in Number 32:23 when he said, “and be sure your sin will find you out.” They are not as invisible to the world as many think they are.
Even though our life is as dirty, God wants to clean them up. He will if we allow Him too. Just by repenting of our sins and allowing Him to be the Lord of our life. If we do allow Him to be Lord of our life then we don’t have to live for anyone or anything, but Him. We must try to put our personal beliefs and ideas to the side, if they don’t line up with God’s Word. Reason for that is simply said by Solomon also. “There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” That death is eternal separation from God. So remember that what comes out of the tea bag when it burst was there all the time; just like your life.