Good morning! I just finished spending time with God and as I am sitting here, my wife is in the kitchen washing some dishes. God brought to my mind how Jesus called out the Pharisees (a religous party that opposed Jesus and relied heavily on traditions) cleaning the outside of the “cup” and “dish,” but on the inside being full of greed and wickedness. Jesus was basically saying, your outward appearance does not match what’s on the inside!
“Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”
Luke 11:39
We can all relate to this – having selfish motives when appearing like we are caring for someone else. When Josh really wants something, he lays it on thick. He will smother me with hugs, be super helpful around the house, and obeys without having to be persuaded! Now, I know that Josh loves me and he is generally a really great kid, but in these moments I have to make him pause and think about what he is doing. We will have conversations around the motive that is driving him to do the things he does and many times (like many of us) it always comes back to selfishness.
When we accept Jesus as the Lord and Savior of our lives, He doesn’t expect us to come to Him perfect, He accepts us as we are. BUT, we are not meant to stay where we are! And He doesn’t want us to just appear that we “have it all together,” He wants to be the person that truly brings healing to our broken hearts, restoration to our broken relationships, and new life where we were once dead!
I often tease my wife when I find a plate, bowl, or cup that hasn’t been completely washed. She doesn’t get the same opportunity because I am thorough when I wash the dishes LOL – if you ask her, she would say it’s because I don’t wash the dishes (eye roll)!
Seriously though, isn’t it so easy for us to find the faults in other people, but when it comes to ourselves we have a blind spot. If we allow God to transform our hearts and minds, we will begin to examine ourselves and look inward before we begin to point fingers.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5
Think about your own life – I know that I would hate to be judged in the way that I judge others sometimes. When I recognize this happening, I immediately run to Jesus and ask Him for forgiveness. I want to love others and extend grace to others in the same way God has done for me! Only He can transform me from the inside out to live like this!
I encourage you today to examine the way that you have judged the people around you – maybe knowingly and maybe subconsciously. Ask God for forgiveness and if you feel it would be helpful, ask the person for forgiveness.
If we are going to be true followers of Jesus, we must surrender all of us to Him – our speech, our thoughts, our actions, our beliefs, and the list goes on. Allow Him to show you what doesn’t align with His Word and respond in obedience to live more like Jesus today!
Heavenly Father, thank You for accepting us where we are, but wanting to bring us closer in relationship to You. Thank You for teaching us how to live. Forgive us for the way we have judged the people around us. We come to you now and ask you to reveal the areas of our lives that need to BE TRANSFORMED by You! We surrender it all to You! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 