Heart Check Week #2 - From the inside out

Matthew 23:25-26 You clean the outside of the cup and the 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.

--- They had these rituals in which they would clean the dishes they ate with and wash their hands - Jesus was saying - you are more concerned with the outside appearance the part that doesn’t matter but the inside is filthy. If your hearts are right then your life’s actions will become right.

Mark 7:1-8

We work so hard to make sure the outside looks good. In our culture think about that - Surgeries to change our physical appearance, the clothes we wear, the car we drive, the house we live in.

Even the things we do we want others to be impressed by how we play a game, how many friends we have. We want others to take notice of us. We want to be famous we want others to be about us.

Celebrities have all of this don’t they. But what do we know about celebrities? They are just as screwed up as the people that don’t have the looks, the cars, the houses, the fame. The outside stuff didn’t change the inside did it? They still feel alone, broken, self concious, The inside is all messed up but the outside sure does look good doesn’t it.

Our desire must shift - our hearts must shift. If we live for those things the inside of us won’t change.

If our inside changes than the outside will change. If we are content with what we have then we won’t need to buy more. If we are comfortable in our own skin we won’t need to starve ourselves. If we realize that fame comes and goes we will be more about pointing people to God who never fades.

Are you content? Do you always find yourself wanting more?

I wonder if we got real honest and took a look on the inside of our lives how many of us would say - it’s really messy in there. I am more concerned about the outside of my life and the inside - i hate myself, i have bitterness towards others, i don’t think i am valuable, i am about fame/popularity at any expense.

The thing is on our own we can’t clean the inside of the cup by ourselves. Only God can do that. Because there are layers and layers of crud in here. For us i think God is asking each one of us.

Are you going to surrender your life to me and let me help you clean the inside of your life?

Are you going to continue living as if it is all alright on the outside when the inside is dying?