“If we come before the Lord each Sunday and listen to God’s Word without replacing the filter of our hearts…?”

“If we come before the Lord each Sunday and listen to God’s Word without replacing the filter of our hearts…?”

There is a water purifier in our church’s fellowship room. As far as I know, once a month a technician from the purifier company comes and replaces the filter. What happens if the filter is not replaced on time? “If the water purifier filter is not replaced on time, it cannot properly remove impurities and bacteria from the water, leading to hygiene problems. The taste of the water will deteriorate, and it can also cause malfunctions and shorten the purifier’s lifespan. In addition, limescale can accumulate, damaging the inside of the unit or reducing its performance. For these reasons, the water purifier filter must be replaced at the designated intervals” (AI summary). That is how important it is to replace a water purifier filter on time. But I wonder if we, each Sunday, come before the Lord to worship Him and hear His Word without first replacing the filter of our hearts. Jesus clearly said, “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them… For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander” (Matthew 15:11, 19). Yet we often come to worship God and listen to His Word without replacing (repenting) the filter of our hearts each week. Then how will that Word truly be received in our hearts?