Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well.
Mt.23:25,26
Jesus is warning the Pharisees of the true nature of their hypocrisy. He warns that cleansing is only effective when it is done from the inside out.
We live in a world where appearance is everything. Groomed and air-brushed social media photos are presented as reality. Jesus tells me no, work on your inside then the outside appearance will take care of itself.
How do I clean my inside? Cleaning up my thoughts would be a good start. Being careful about what I expose my inner heart to would be another good place to work on.
Saint Paul gives the complete antidote:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil.4:4-7
Rejoice, be gentle not anxious, be prayerful, have an attitude of gratitude. These are all doable. Then the peace of God will guard my heart and my inside will be clean.
Jesus, outside appearance takes way too much of my time. Help me put less into the outside and more into the inside.
Saint Paul, please pray for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment