trbccoffeebreak

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.” Matthew 23:25 (NASB)

Picking up my coffee cup, I decided to reheat it in the microwave. Reaching for the handle, I could see my reflection in the door and I basked in a job well done. But when I opened the microwave, I immediately thought, “Yuck!”

Inside the microwave was splattered with reheated leftovers. I scrubbed and wiped wondering how the inside got so crusty and dirty. Then I realized, I’m usually in such a rush that I clean the outside and decide that’s good enough. We too spend hours making sure that everything looks good from the outside: fancy hair dos, expensive clothes, large beautiful home, and the newest model car. Yet we tend to spend no time at all on the inside, where we carrying around a lot of yuck: anger, bitterness, jealousy, selfishness.

Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they worried more about what everyone saw on the outside than the condition of their insides. If their outside looked good, then that was good enough. But when God looks at us, He only sees what’s inside. He isn’t concerned with our hairstyle or perfectly coordinated outfit. What concerns Him is the condition of our heart. And the only way we are able to live a God honoring life is with a clean heart. If we don’t clean up the inside, we’re just a yucky microwave with a shiny door.

“God, forgive me for spending too much time on my outside and not enough on the inside. Help me to remember that what matters is honoring You, and I can only do that when my inside is clean.”

For His Glory

Josey Bozzo
TRBC Women’s Life