Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

-Parallel verse:
Matthew‬ ‭5:8‬‬‬
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‭‭Many of us have experienced excellent service while flying on an airplane from one destination to another. In fact, these airlines are awarded “gold star” awards for their customer satisfaction of service levels by magazines and journals like J.D. Power. It is great to have the award recognized on the outside of the plane as passengers enter, but it does not really make me feel any better about riding that airplane. What does is a friendly face, a willing helper in a flight attendant. And then when the pilot gets on the loud speaker, I am looking for a calm presence and an impression that he understands what is important in flying a plane. Still, more than any of these things, it is important that the actual flying of the airplane is done with great skill and care — maintenance checks and delays if something isn’t exactly right, good takeoffs, warnings about turbulence, soft landings. All of these things give a level of confidence that your life is in good hands.

So it is with our spiritual life. We can have all of the visual markings of a Christ follower, and these have some small benefit. For the Jews this looked like circumcision. For us it may look like: attending church, having a bumper sticker or license plate that says something catchy like: “God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.” But the harsh reality is … in life with God, all of these things count for nothing if our hearts are not “sold out” and on active mission to live and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. And what is this gospel? It is the good news that sinners like us can be rescued from the entrapments of sin, redeemed, and set free to live in relationship with a holy God and join him in his great works! It is the good news that in the highs and lows of life, we have an eternal purpose and a great future that brings us joy! So we toil in doing the Lord’s work and we glory in his praise and his appreciation of our efforts and the heart behind those efforts.

Lord, thank you that you see through our outward markings into the condition of our hearts. May your truth define me and may the thing that marks me in others’ minds most be A HEART SURRENDERED to you.