Girls, I am thinking today about something we simply brushed over last night in prayer request time...have been thinking about it all day. It's about inwardly following Christ. I'm thinking about what that really means, especially when it comes to us in our specific circumstances. And I am thinking about the very real things we talked about last night, things that affect us now--our thought lives, our eating habits, our relationships with our boyfriends, our work. I am thinking about how Jesus would have us handle those struggles. I am thinking on this story:
37 While Jesus[e] was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 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. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you. Luke 11:37-41
When He says "give as alms those things that are within," he means for them to give offerings from their hearts. Usually, an "alm" refers to food or money that you give to the poor, something material, but in this instance, Jesus means the gifts that come from within. Their good will. Their love. Their heart motivations, their thoughts, their everything inside, should be gift worthy. Make these things within you clean enough to present as gifts, and then the outside of you, your behavior, will be clean, also.
The Pharisees were all about cleanliness on the outside. They were big on religious rituals and ceremonial cleanliness and rule following. And from the outside, they looked good. But they thought their outer obedience outweighed what was going on in their hearts. They thought that by putting on good behavior, they were excused to think and feel whatever they wanted.
But the problem with that is: whatever is in your heart, whatever is in your thoughts and your motivations and your innermost being, that will eventually come out in your behavior. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) For the Pharisees, their sinful hearts, not checked or cleaned internally, resulted in them excusing the things they thought were ok--pride, taking advantage of the poor, judging people, haughtiness. They figured they could rely on their appearances and it burned them.
We criticize the Pharisees for being religious and more focused on their own rules rather than Jesus, but like we mentioned last night....aren't we guilty of the same things? Excusing idolatry that comes from within? Justifying our impure thought lives with our good external behavior? Being so focused on food or exercise or fitness and allowing that to trump our dependence on God for our needs? Putting other things or people in a place above Him? Truth is, we have just as much issue with cleaning the inside of the dish.
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Matthew 23:25-26
Jesus wants our hearts first, so He can clean us from the inside out. That's when obedience means something more....it means redemption.
It is for our freedom that He wants redemption for us. He wants us to be free of obsession from food, from insecurity, from idolatry with people or love, from thought lives that hurt us. Jesus says these things are death for us and He wants to protect us from death, that He might show us life. The blessing and the beauty and the glory of life in Him.
It's not easy, but we have to surrender. We are part of the process of redemption. We have to surrender to what we know is freedom for us, and agree to help Him clean the inside. We trust Him and rely on His grace and His strength to help us peer into the darkness He wants to heal. Don't try to do it on your own, and don't try to to do it halfway--you will be dying in your sins. Don't settle for less than all of what He could do in you. Give Him everything. I encourage you to give Him the gift of your whole heart and know what it means to be made fully clean.
It is my prayer that you will do this, and that His light will consume you. You will find freedom from things you never thought you could be free of. His healing and His blessings will be evident in You. (I am already starting to see this in our group and it's incredible!! :-D) His joy and peace and love will overwhelm you and spill out of you. And ultimately, this redemption and change in you will speak to others. He will use your testimony in healing others!!! I pray you experience the joy and awe and wonder of that.
Love you girls,
Krissy
No comments:
Post a Comment