Matthew 23:25-26 (MSG) "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and
Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they
sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony.
Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean
something.”
When we see pictures of Jesus, this one is not often painted. What
must the look on His face been as He spoke with disgust to the spiritual
leaders of His day? He was ticked! Instead of giving sound instruction for the
spiritual hearts of the people, they were focused on increasing their own power
and wealth coming into the synagogue. People looked to them as spiritual
leaders, but Jesus saw their hearts. If you are a coffee drinker, you know what
the inside of a white cup looks like after years of the piping hot, dark liquid
penetrating the pristine white coating. If it is simply rinsed out for the next
use, the white cup becomes dingy and stained. The outside may rinse off fine,
but the inside never looks quite the same. If coffee is allowed to sit inside a
white mug overnight, stubborn rings form that are harder to remove. What are
you keeping inside the cup of your heart? Are you a pew-sitting Christian with
striking attendance and service features designing your outside, but inside you
allow the pristine surface of your redeemed heart to become dingy and stained?
Go to Jesus. Imagine Him making this speech to you. As He confronts you about your
cup, hand it to Him and let Him clean the inside for you. He will help you do
the dishes every day if you let Him!
Dear Jesus, You know the stains on the cup of my heart. I have rinsed
when You said scrub. Help me to bring back the pure, pristine heart You died to
redeem. I love You! Amen
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