Episode 117

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Published on:

1st Oct 2024

Seven Letters that Make All the Difference

Sometimes one word can make all the difference!

For example, "may" in a legal document is entirely different from "shall." The first makes an action optional; the second makes it an obligation.

In Jesus's teachings in Matthew 5, two words (7 letters) in the 6th Beatitude make all the difference -- not only for the original audience but for us.

"Blessed are the pure" is an entirely different message than "Blessed are the pure -- in heart!"

In the original audience's culture, "purity" had descended to an exhaustive (and exhausting) list of "thou shalt's and thou shalt not's." Over the centuries people had added their own items to God's original list of moral, ceremonial (instructions on how to worship God), and civil (political) laws. These were easy to measure because they were external.

Yet these additions corrupted the entire purpose for the laws -- just as some of our laws today become more about serving a system than the people for whom the system was originally designed!

But "purity" based culture, wearing a "Christian" tag, is still around. It might be subtle to-do's that infer a higher Christian maturity -- like early morning "quiet time" ranking higher than mid-afternoon "quiet time." Or it may be stringent formulas like those taught during the height of the "purity-culture" movement which shared elements with cults.

The addition of Jesus' two words -- "in heart" -- made (and still make) all the difference! True purity always works from the inside out, not the reverse.

We unpack this truth today and look at how we can assess our own hearts.

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About the Podcast

Living Wide and Deep
Growing a life of spiritual strength, emotional health, and relational wisdom
You want to be the best possible person, parent, or spouse. Yet sometimes you may not know how. You may feel alone. I understand.

The "Living Wide and Deep" podcast helps you grow spiritually strong, emotionally healthy, and relationally wise. Your good intentions and abilities will thrive through learning and applying principles from research, real-life experience, and the Bible.

You don't have to choose between deep and narrow or wide and shallow. You can live wide and deep! Stephanie brings depth and winsomeness, authority and vulnerability. A wife, mom, mother-in-law, and Nana, Stephanie is a speaker and writer who loves helping others flourish.
Learn more at her website, https://www.stephaniepresents.com/

About your host

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Stephanie Smith

Stephanie knows from experience good intentions aren't enough to be spiritually strong, emotionally healthy, and relationally smart--or to raise kids who are. She shares powerful Scriptural principles and science-backed insights into human behavior to equip people to grow good intentions into godly impact.

Stephanie's authenticity creates immediate connection with audiences both virtual and on the stage, while gracious authority provides clarity and confidence for listeners. Her leadership experience includes being a certified Primal Question coach, Christian school founding board member and teacher, homeschool cooperative founder, and Teen Theater Director.

Stephanie is a wife, mother of five grown sons, mother-in-law of four, and Nana to a growing tribe of awesome grandkids. She is committed to Psalm 17:17-18, proclaiming God's power to generations through wisdom forged in real life.