“How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites!
You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy – full of greed and self-indulgence!” Matthew 23: 25
If you are like me, you wouldn’t like to live in a messy place. I hate it when my things are scattered; I aways want my things organised as much as I can before I can do anything especially if I want to pray or study. Well, I do it to please myself and find satisfaction in it but, that can make me look like what Christ is saying above. “You are careful to clean the out of the cup and the dish , but the inside you are filthy…”
Now what does the Lord mean when he says “inside”?.
Well let’s look at Mark 7:18-23
18 “And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, [it] cannot defile him;
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. (Mark 7:18, KJV)
I see myself somewhere in the list – mercy Lord ☹️🙆🏾♀️. Am I then supposed to hang myself like Judas? No! 1 John 1:8-10 teaches us what to do with our sins ”8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.“
We must be like David who asked the Lord to create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him. He also asked the Lord to search him and know his heart( Psalm 51:10, Psalm 119:23-24)
These verses have been a guiding light for me and I believe it will help you too. Let’s always focus on what is “inside” because that is where the Lord is looking at.
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for [the LORD seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, KJV)
Let’s pray 🙏
Father thank you for another opportunity to study your word, help us to be doers of your word .
Amen 🙏 .
Chara-Joy 🌸 