Sometimes it’s easy to point the finger at others and not make application to ourselves first. Sometimes we might use a verse to talk about other people and think it only applies to them (and not us). Before we ever censure others, we must first make the application to ourselves.
Take Matthew 15:8 for example. We readily direct this at others, but what about you? What about me? Jesus described some “hypocrites” by saying, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” Could this describe us?
Do we ever sit in worship and sing songs with our “mouth” but our “heart” is somewhere else? Do we ever speak about how important Jesus or His church is to us with our “lips” but our “heart” is singing another tune? God is listening to our hearts, and He knows if our words are not in sync with our hearts. If we’re going to apply this to others, let us examine ourselves first! May God help me to not be a “hypocrite” or to worship Him “in vain”!