And the Lord said unto him,
Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter;
but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Luke 11:39 KJV
There is a man in the news
He has committed many crimes, some that involve children
Because of his position, it is likely he will not face any time
even though others around him have
He always looks like he needs a shower
He has a very dirty look
It also seems that soap and water won’t make him look any cleaner
It’s really his insides that need cleansing
Then hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive,
and do, and give to every man according to his ways,
whose heart Thou knowest;
(for Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)
1 Kings 8:39 KJV
That man that looks dirty is not of the Kingdom, at least not yet
His sin seems to be oozing out of his pores
But there are many who profess Jesus who look clean but might not be
We humans cannot see as God sees
The Pharisees in Jesus’ time walked around in fancy robes
Commanding others to do the law as they studied the law
so they could follow every dot and tittle and make sure others did, too
Jesus confronted them on many occasions
They did not get it
They did not comprehend what needed to happen
for them to be spiritually clean
The Pharisees still walk among us this day
And He said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men;
but God knoweth your hearts:
for that which is highly esteemed among men
is abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:15 KJV
The outward appearance is not what God looks on
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance,
or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him:
for the Lord seeth not as man seeth;
for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
Jesus can see our hearts, He sees deep down inside
Have you ever been ashamed of yourself for something you said or did?
That is a small reminder of how God sees our hearts
He does not reveal things to us to give us guilt or shame,
but so that He can cleanse out the bitter dregs inside that don’t always show