It's not enough to just look in the mirror and wash your face.
Put on your make-up.
Fix your hair.
Dress well.
Your reflection can be beautiful, but in God's mirror, you are stained.
Ugly. Hateful. Angry. Selfish.
In Matthew 23:25-27, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for 'cleaning the outside of the cup, yet the inside remains dirty, full of greed and self-indulgence.' He says 'first clean the inside of the cup and then the outside will also be clean.'
What is the cup?
It's the inside of you and me.
Jesus goes on to say, 'on the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."'
If we are Christ followers, we have a responsibility to reflect Christ's image in all we say and do. If not, we run the risk of looking like a fool; a hypocrite to lost souls in need of salvation.
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny them with their life style." ~ Brennan Manning
What does Jesus see when He looks inside your cup?
Mine is dirty, stained with sin.
Thank God that with His help, it can be made clean again!
This is a constant struggle for me! I want the inside of my cup to be clean, but I can't seem to always have it clean. But with God's help I certainly can get close! One of my favorite verses is Colossians 3:12
ReplyDeleteTherefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
This verse helps me while I'm driving and start to feel aggressive. Or while I'm in Target and someone is in my way. Or with my children when I'm disciplining. It reminds me how I'm supposed to act.
Great story C! I enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing your frustrations! We are so alike. Unfortunately, my boys think all bad drivers are "idiots" as that's what they hear me call them. :(
ReplyDeleteI need help having patience. I feel like I have compassion, but that doesn't always = patience.
You are a shining example of Colossians 3:12!
You represent all of those qualities!
Thanks for being such a good friend!