Sunday, July 22, 2012

Luke 11-12 “Scrub the Inside too!”

S = 11:39-41 “And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.”

O = They were astonished that Jesus didn’t wash his hands before eating. This was done to remove ceremonial uncleanness one might have picked up from contact with the Gentiles, etc. not for hygiene purposes. Jesus used this as an object lesson…they invested all their time keeping the outside ritually pure while the inside (their heart) was full of crud. It reminds me of washing the outside of a seldom used travel mug and filling it with coffee without cleaning out the crusty mold from last month’s mocha. If we regularly give out of the inside—love and justice to others—then there will be no greedy wicked build-up in our hearts. Much like a running stream compared to a stagnant pond.

A = Do I regularly expose my heart to the cleansing flow of God’s word and the scrubbing of the Holy Spirit? Do I share what god has given me with others or do I store it up until it spoils?

P = O Lord, wash my heart, show me what I need to confess to you…so it doesn’t have to go on the big screen of judgment for all to see. Let there be no hidden sin in me. I desire greatly to not displease you—because you love me and I want to live into that love! Amen.

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