Mark 7:14-15, 21-23

“Then he called the crowd again and said to them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’” vss. 14-15

So what is it that is the measure of a person? Is it their golf handicap? Or maybe it’s their appearance, whether they have tattoos or piercings–or perhaps it’s their diet, whether they are careful about what they eat or drink? Whether we like it or not, most folks rely on externals in appraising another person’s character. Through lifetime experiences and personal prejudices we tend to develop an extensive list of characteristics to use in making judgments about others. Even things like gender and skin color get factored into the mix. And Jesus tells us that none of those externals can tell us a thing about the soul or spirit of a person! What is the measure of a person? It’s the things that come out of them–these are the only accurate indicators. But too often people don’t get a second chance with us. For some reason we are strangely confident in our ability to use externals, and snap judgements are common. How good it is when we can lay aside our prejudices and learn to take time with others! We aren’t always right in our initial analysis. Often we’re dead wrong, and the people we’ve written off become choice friends.

Thought for the Day: How do I measure the worth of another person?