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The Heart of Jesus

John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

I have had a difficult time finding a single verse today.  I have been all over my Bible, reading and thinking.  I'm settling on this verse, mostly because it is closely related to one of my favorite verses.  I sometimes get caught up in thinking I need to do certain things to grow in my faith.  These things are not inherently bad, nor are they necessarily good.  Two big stumbling blocks for me are fasting and tithing.  I find myself getting hooked into the religious value of them rather than the relational value.  I find that spending time with God gives me a clearer picture of my own motives for wanting to do these things.  I find that I usually feel the need to fast when I'm feeling poorly about my body image.  I find that wanting to tithe usually comes after reading verses in the Old Testament about God blessing Israel for its offerings.  Both of these are motivated by my selfishness.  I am always amazed at how quickly I am sucked in to these two thoughts.  Thankfully I am fully aware of what is going on and I don't fall into the religion trap.  I am, however, asking God how He would like to use these two things to further His Kingdom and asking Him to "create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me".  I know there is journey value to both of these, but I need to do them with the right heart, the heart of Jesus.

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