Post by Richard on Mar 10, 2007 8:29:58 GMT -5
FROM THE INSIDE OUT
_________________________
Matthew 23:23-30 (NRSV)
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ustice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets."
_________________________
First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
- Matthew 23:26 (NIV)
_________________________
FREQUENTLY over the years, I've found myself going back to the above passage. It reminds me that God is working on me from the inside out. I can bathe and dress up outwardly, smell and look presentable; but if I neglect God, my inner self suffers. Soon I resemble more a worldly being than a child of God.
Jesus used very strong language to warn the religious leaders of their hypocrisies. He also told them, and us, a truth essential for spiritual life and relationship with God: God's work with us starts on the inside. God changes our hearts, our attitudes, and our minds - things not visible to the outside world - until the changes become evident in our actions and behavior.
Those closest to us begin to notice that we respond differently to people and situations. "You didn't get angry." "You showed some real restraint." "You were patient." "You weren't rude or sarcastic with that person."
While the world looks for happiness, God and God's people look for holiness that radiates from within us to light our world.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, clean our hearts and our minds so that our lives can reveal your power and glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God changes us inwardly so that we are different outwardly.
-- Timothy J. Nadeau (New Mexico, U.S.A.)
PRAYER FOCUS: To recognize our hypocrisies
_________________________
Matthew 23:23-30 (NRSV)
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ustice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets."
_________________________
First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
- Matthew 23:26 (NIV)
_________________________
FREQUENTLY over the years, I've found myself going back to the above passage. It reminds me that God is working on me from the inside out. I can bathe and dress up outwardly, smell and look presentable; but if I neglect God, my inner self suffers. Soon I resemble more a worldly being than a child of God.
Jesus used very strong language to warn the religious leaders of their hypocrisies. He also told them, and us, a truth essential for spiritual life and relationship with God: God's work with us starts on the inside. God changes our hearts, our attitudes, and our minds - things not visible to the outside world - until the changes become evident in our actions and behavior.
Those closest to us begin to notice that we respond differently to people and situations. "You didn't get angry." "You showed some real restraint." "You were patient." "You weren't rude or sarcastic with that person."
While the world looks for happiness, God and God's people look for holiness that radiates from within us to light our world.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, clean our hearts and our minds so that our lives can reveal your power and glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God changes us inwardly so that we are different outwardly.
-- Timothy J. Nadeau (New Mexico, U.S.A.)
PRAYER FOCUS: To recognize our hypocrisies