Inside Out

Do you worry about presenting a good image to others? Do you work to make yourself look good when interacting with others? Do you dress yourself up, put on a smile, and change your language? Are you full of turmoil, anxiety, and fear on the inside?

Our culture has become a culture of image. We spend money, time, and effort making ourselves look good. It is all about appearances. We strive to look like those we see on television. We have become fake.

Please do not misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with dressing appropriately. However, when we neglect what is on the inside, we have neglected what is most important. There is only one way to clean ourselves from the inside out—following Jesus.

Jesus chastises the leaders of Israel in today’s passage for doing what our culture does. They spent more time and energy in trying to make themselves look good than they did trying to follow God. Jesus continues in the next few verses by calling them “whitewashed tombs.” They were dead on the inside while presenting an image of being righteous.

God is concerned about our hearts, minds, and souls. He desires us to be concerned about them as well. This is key to remember—when our hearts, minds, and souls are clean, we radiate a goodness that far exceeds the way we dress. Ugliness or beauty both come from the same place—hearts, minds, and souls. They are displayed in our attitudes and behaviors. We can mask them with clothing, but they always shine through. If we want to be beautiful people, we need to start with the inside, cleaning it out and filling ourselves with Jesus.

I pray we all seek to clean ourselves from the inside out. I pray we follow Jesus. I pray each one of us asks God to help us clean our hearts, minds, and souls of turmoil, anxiety, and fear. Clean up the inside. Be beautiful on the inside. Show your beauty in your attitude and behavior. Follow Jesus. Ask God to help.

Matthew 23:25-26 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”

Oaths, Vows, and Promises

Have you ever taken an oath? Have you had to promise to carry out a mission? Have you sworn to testify or to keep a secret? Have you been able to live up to the oath? Have you thought you should not have sworn an oath afterward?

We make promises and swear oaths for a variety of reasons. We are sworn in to the military and political offices. We are sworn to tell the truth when we testify in court. We make promises to do something at work, with our families, and even to ourselves.

Jesus warns us not to make an oath. He says we are not to swear by anyone or anything. Why? He knows just how fickle we are. He knows we want to do many things but often lack the will, ability, or resources to do them. He knows we will fail as often or more than we succeed.

This is not to say we should refuse to tell the truth in a court of law. We should abide by the laws of the land. It is not to say that we refuse to take an oath when joining the military or taking a political office. Those are required by our customs to serve.

The bigger issue is the voluntary oaths and promises. Take a few moments to think about the promises you have made and failed to keep. Think about the oaths or vows you have spoken and have been unable to see through to the end. We all have them. Some of them we prefer to forget. Others bring up feelings of regret. Jesus tells us not to make them to avoid feeling guilty when we fail. We would be wise to listen to His guidance.

I pray we all think carefully before making an oath, promise, or vow. I pray we forgo swearing to do something whenever possible. I pray each one of us seek to be a person of our word rather than needing to swear by someone or something larger than us. Do not voluntarily swear an oath. Stop making promises. Be extremely careful making vows. Be a person who can be trusted. Be a person of your word. Be trustworthy.

Matthew 5:33-35 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.”

Lip-Service

How do you feel about people who say one thing but do something different? Do you like to be with people who say they like you to your face, but find every excuse to not spend time with you? How long would it be before you gave up on them?

We have all experienced this at point in our lives. There has been at least one person who has put on the happy face around us, told us how much they like us or agree with us, but we hear of them saying something different when they are not with us. We might call them two-faced.

Jesus is talking about that same thing in today’s passage. He references a prophecy from Isaiah that is more than five-hundred-years old. This problem has existed for a very long time. There has been people who will say one thing, but their actions say something different for centuries. God does not like this type of behavior any more than we like it when people do to us. They are rightly called hypocrites—a term for a Roman actor who wore a mask on stage.

Notice that last line. Isaiah prophecies and Jesus speaks of putting human rules ahead of God’s commandments. This is not the only time Jesus speaks of people putting rules or traditions above God. He repeatedly chastises the Pharisees for doing this. God gave us commands we are to adhere to. He wants his commands to be obeyed above all others.

Lest we think this becomes restrictive or constraining, man’s rules are far more restrictive than God’s. Remember this, Jesus boiled all the law and prophets down to two commands—love god and love your neighbor. When we abide by these two commands in every word and deed, we please God. Though these are a little restricting, they are not nearly as restricting as the books of man’s rules and traditions. Perhaps that is why Jesus tells us we are truly free when we come to Him.

I pray we all commit to worshiping God. I pray we choose to obey God’s commands over man’s rules and traditions. I pray each one of us accept freedom in Christ and give up lip-service. Worship God. Love God. Honor God. Give your heart to God. Be free in Christ. Live free. Live with love in your heart.

Matthew 15:7-9 “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 

“‘These people honor me with their lips, 

but their hearts are far from me. 

They worship me in vain; 

their teachings are merely human rules.’”

Stand in Awe of God

Who do you fear? Who do you stand in awe of? Who would you never think of disobeying? Is there anyone? Or do you think you can withstand anyone, overpower them, overcome them? Have you spent any time thinking about it?

We encounter people in our lives who are confident, some to the point of cockiness. They present themselves as invincible. You may be one of those people. Perhaps you think there is no one who can control you. You may think you are strong enough to overcome any situation.

There is a difference between being confident and being cocky. Cockiness is foolishness. Being confident, if for the right reasons, is wise. Being confident in God is wise. Trusting God in all situations is wise. Seeking God’s will is wise. Serving God is wise.

There are multiple instances, including today’s passage, where we are told that God is a jealous God. He desires us to serve only him. We are not to serve other God’s. We may think we do not serve other God’s, but we can be blinded.

We are seeing a lower attendance in our churches. It is through the church that we serve God. It is in the church that we organize people to do God’s work. It is in corporate worship that we are strengthened in our faith. It has been throughout history that the church leads the way in caring for others. Have there been mistakes? Absolutely. But how can we make positive changes if we are not involved?

God has warned us throughout the Bible against serving anyone but him. If we truly desire to see positive changes in our culture, we need to be in church and encouraging others to be in church. It is only by honoring God as a nation that we will see him work in mighty ways.

I pray we all stand in awe of God. I pray we choose to serve only God. I pray each one of us choose to be in church and encourage others to be in church. Fear God. Be in awe of God. Forgo worshiping other God’s. Be active in church. Worship only God. Seek God’s will.

Deuteronomy 6:13-15 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.

Be Holy

Are you holy? What does it mean to be holy? Does the image of a perfect person come to mind? Do you think of an older person in your church? Do you think of perfection? Do you believe that only God can be holy?

Being holy does require commitment on our part. We must commit to following God’s will and commands. We are to be humble and pious. We cannot be holy on our own. We must rely on God in our pursuit of holiness. Only he can make us holy.

When we hear that only God can make us holy, some of us give up. We don’t say we give up. Instead, we say, “I am who I am.” We stop trying to change to become the person God desires us to be. Being holy requires us to put an effort into it AND God makes us holy.

No, it isn’t physical work. It is a work of the heart. It is a decision. It is dedicating our life to God. It is discerning God’s will for our lives and following it. It is submitting to God’s commands. It is not thinking more of ourselves than we ought. It is holding tight to God’s teaching rather than falling prey to world’s falsities.

Lest we think the teachings taught to Israel before Jesus was born are no longer relevant, we must know that many of them are referenced by Jesus and the Apostles. The Apostle Peter repeats today’s passage in 1 Peter 1:16. We are to commit to being holy. God desires it. It comes as a result of loving God and following Jesus Christ.

I pray we all commit to being holy. I pray we choose to follow God’s will for our lives. I pray each one of us decide to obey God’s commands and to be humble before a holy God. Be humble. Be pious. Obey God’s commands. Follow Jesus. Hold on to God’s teachings. Be holy.

Leviticus 19:2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.”

Trust God to Provide

How much do you trust God? Have you evaluated your actions to help answer that question? Are you willing to depend on God to provide each meal you eat? Or do you store up for tomorrow?

Our American culture has become a culture of hoarding. Think not? Many of our households have enough food on the shelves to feed ourselves for a couple weeks or more. We have enough clothing to wear a different outfit every day for a month.

Let’s ask another question. How much of what we have are we willing to give away? Only 5% of churchgoers tithe. If every Christian gave 10%, churches nationwide would be given $139 billion per year.

Our churches are shrinking, due in part to a lack of resources. It isn’t all about the money, but it takes money to hire human resources to do the work that needs to be done. Volunteers working a couple hours per week is barely enough to hang on.

When we trust God to provide for our every personal need, we can then donate more to God’s work. Some have argued that we are not required to give ten percent. We can argue the Old Testament doesn’t apply, but it is obvious Jesus thought it did. God still wants our first fruits. He still wants our best effort. Does He require it? No. Neither do parents require their kids to give them birthday presents, but they love receiving them.

I pray we all reevaluate how much we trust God. I pray we take a hard look at what we are giving to the church. I pray each one of us will give of our time, skills, talents, and money to carry out God’s work. Use your blessings wisely. Use your blessings to serve others. Give back to God. Give to his church. Please God with your gifts.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

Just Right

Do you have enough? Do you have extra? Are you willing to share from your extra? Would you like others to share with you from their extra? Have you thought that by helping one another each of us has what we need?

It is countercultural for us to think about sharing with one another when we live in a culture that continues to tell us to acquire more and more. Our mind is set on getting the next new shiny object. We do not even think about those that have next to nothing.

Homelessness and poverty continue to increase in our communities and across our country. The recent pandemic has made it worse. People lost their jobs. Corporations downsized. Businesses learned how to reduce overhead by allowing people to work from home. Some who worked from home were not nearly as productive and were released from their jobs.

True, we see a lot of help wanted signs in business windows. But when you go from a $60 an hour job to a $15 an hour job, you no longer have the means to make your house payment. Think about it. You now make twenty-five percent of what you made before. Something has to give. When house payments are not made, banks foreclose, people are put out on the streets.

Paul tells the church in Corinth to share. He states a truth we do not want to hear. There will be times when we have plenty or extra. Those are times we can share with others. There will be times when we do not have enough. Those are times others can share with us.

I pray we all open our eyes and see what is going on around us. I pray we see the homelessness and poverty in our communities. I pray each one of us will have a heart for sharing from our blessings. Look around your community. See the poor. See the homeless. Be willing to share.

2 Corinthians 8:13-15 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

Freely or Grudgingly

When we share, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we donate to help the schools, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we agree to help a neighbor, do we do it freely or grudgingly? When we return a portion of God’s blessing to his church, do we do it grudgingly or freely?

We all share or contribute or donate to a wide variety of causes. If we are a miserly person, we likely do so grudgingly. If we are very giving person, we likely do so freely. Most of us fall somewhere in between.

We have our favorite organizations we donate to. Or we have organizations we feel obligated to donate to. Perhaps we have children or grandchildren in school and feel obligated to donate to their band, arts project, or sports team. We might belong to a club of some sorts and there are dues to be paid, but we go above and beyond to donate toward other projects. How do we feel about donating to the church? Perhaps we feel obliged to donate there, too.

But Paul tells the Corinthians in today’s passage that it is better to give generously (freely) than to give grudgingly. He believed it so much that he sent people ahead of him to prepare the people to give generously. God wants us to give freely. He doesn’t want us to give grudgingly. But he does want us to give.

It all boils down to trusting God, loving God, and changing our attitude. When we fully trust God and truly love God, we give according to his will. When we trust and love God, our attitude will naturally change to match his.  When we know in our heart of hearts that God will never leave us, we give to him our entire being.

I pray we learn to trust God with our entire being. I pray we learn to love God with our whole heart. I pray each one of us has an attitude that matches God’s. Donate freely. Contribute to God’s work. Trust God fully. Love God with your whole heart. Have the attitude of God.

2 Corinthians 9:5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

Tithing and Loving

Are you only doing part of what God desires from you? Are you tithing as God has stated we should do? Is your love for him a deep, true love? Or is your love superficial and more talk than action? How much of your life are you giving to God?

We all set priorities. For some of us, the top priority is to climb the corporate ladder. For others of us, the top priority is to own our own house. For still others of us, the top priority is to have a lasting marriage with children. All of these are the wrong top priority.

Our American culture tells us all those priorities are good number on priorities. Unfortunately, they are contrary to what we are taught in the Bible. They are counter to God’s desires and his will for us. Make no mistake about it, there is nothing wrong with climbing the corporate ladder, owning our own house, or having a lasting marriage. However, God demands to be first in our lives in all aspects and phases of our life.

Some of us will tithe and think we are done. Again, we are wrong. Take a look at the “woe” Jesus states to the Pharisees in today’s passage. We are expected to tithe AND love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We are to follow his commands in serving others. We are to be committed to God with our entire life—all we have and all we are.

Tithing can be difficult to do. We may have bills that keep us from giving ten percent today. But that doesn’t mean we can’t work toward it over time. If we have a hard time giving up our money, how much harder it is to give up our possessions and time! We can barely spare a few moments with our family, let alone spending hours to serve the homeless. We can’t possibly give up any of our clothing, it might come back in style in ten years. What are we thinking? It will disappear one day.

I pray we all determine to tithe to God. I pray we determine to give of our possessions. I pray each one of us will decide to give our time to our families and to God as servants of his. Set your priorities carefully. Make God your number one priority. Follow God’s commands. Love God with all you are and all you have.

Luke 11:42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”

Scatter Your Gifts

How freely do you share your gifts? Do you share them openly and freely? Or do you hold on to them tightly for your own use? Have you thought that by not sharing you are hurting yourself? Perhaps it is worth thinking about.

Sharing is something most of us are taught as children, especially if we grew up with siblings. We learn to share toys. We learn to share clothes. We learn to share food. We learn that sharing and cooperating with one another makes things go much smoother.

When we share our gifts, we help ourselves. Do you believe that? You should. We are told in today’s passage that our own righteousness endures forever when we scatter our gifts. We will be lifted in honor for sharing the gifts God has given us.

I remember going to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina to help muck out houses. We went to help others with their recovery. We were blessed more than those folks. We heard their amazing stories. They touched our souls. We experienced amazing togetherness. We saw sights we would have never seen before. And to think we will be blessed beyond that because we scattered our gifts, shared what we could do for others!

Each of us are gifted differently for specific purposes. God’s expectation is that we share the gifts we have been blessed with. I can just imagine him sitting in heaven looking down on us just a parent looks at a child and saying, “Share with your brother. Let your sister play with it, too.”

I pray we all scatter our gifts. I pray we share our gifts in the way God intended them to be. I pray each one of us will recognize our gifts and their purpose, then share them for God’s purposes. Know your gifts. Use them for good. Use them to help others. Share your gifts for God’s purpose.

Psalm 112:9

They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,

their righteousness endures forever;

their horn will be lifted high in honor.