Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

May 14
Wednesday


LOOKING
GOOD

READ:
Matthew 23:23-31
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First cleanse the inside.
__Matthew 23:26
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Your hair is really healthy," said my hairdresser after giving me a haircut. "I hope it's because you use our products." "No. I'm sorry," I said. "I just use whatever product is cheap and smells good." But then I added, "I also try to eat well. I think that makes a big difference."

When I think about the things we do to make ourselves look good, I'm reminded of some of the things we do to make ourselves look good spiritually. Jesus addressed this issue with the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Matt. 23). They followed an elaborate set of religious rules that went well beyond the ones God had given them. They worked hard to look good to their peers, to prove that they were better than others. But their hard work didn't impress God. Jesus said to them, "You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside [you] are full of extortion and self-indulgence" (v.25). What the Pharisees did to make themselves look good to others actually revealed that they were not good at all.

Every culture values different religious behaviors and traditions, but God's values transcend cultures. And what He values isn't measured by what others see. God values a clean heart and pure motives. Spiritual health is expressed from the inside out. __Julie Ackerman Link

````````````````````````You know me, Lord, for who I am. My motives```````````````````````````
`````````````````````````and heart are open before You. Cleanse me```````````````````````````
``````````````````````````from the inside out. And help me to live as```````````````````````````
`````````````````````````````Jesus did__with pure and true motives.````````````````````````````
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We might look good on the outside without really
being good on the inside.

**************************Today's Bible Reading __ Matthew 23:23-31****************************

23 Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you pay tithe of mint and
anise and cummin, and have
neglected the weightier
matters of the law: justice
and mercy and faith. These
you ought to have done,
without leaving the others
undone. 24 Blind guides,
who strain out a gnat and
swallow a camel!

25 Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you cleanse the outside of
the cup and dish, but inside
they are full of extortion and
self-indulgence. 26 Blind
Pharisee, first cleanse the
inside of the cup and dish,
that the outside of them may
be clean also.

27 Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For
you are like whitewashed
tombs which indeed appear
beautiful outwardly, but
inside are full of dead men's
bones and all uncleanness.

28 Even so you also
outwardly appear righteous
to men, but inside you are
full of hypocrisy and
lawlessness.

29 Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites!
Because you build the tombs
of the prophets and adorn
the monuments of the
righteous. 30 and say, "If we
had lived in the days of our
fathers, we would not have
been partakers with them in
the blood of the prophets,"

31 Therefore you are
witnesses against yourselves
that you are sons of those
who murdered the prophets.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Matthew 23 uses the phrase "woe to you" eight times when Jesus
condemns the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. They displayed
outward religiosity and piety, but neglected the truly important
mattes of justice, mercy, and faith (v.23; Mic. 6:8). They presented
themselves as upright and holy, but inside they were utterly corrupt
and evil (vv.25:31).