Day 193 "Godly people don't need polish; they already glow because of Him in them."

Day 193 Matthew 23:25-26 “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. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” When I was much younger and immature in the Lord, I was always so thankful for the Sunday and Wednesday services. Mind you, not in any great spiritual sense, but much more in the selfish sense. You see, it was then that I could truly block out the world, worship God, and sincerely seek and find forgiveness for everything I had done against His will for the past few days. It was as if the only time I was strong enough to make the right choices was when I was in fellowship with other believers. On my own, the choices I made were not always the right ones. While I believe that this is probably a common practice for many, I will say that while, yes, God's grace abounds, I would not recommend this lifestyle. Those who practice such a relationship with God will never achieve their best with Him. They will be in constant turmoil, never secure in any one place, and always wanting more and never feeling satisfied. In this passage, Jesus is speaking to people who do not wrestle with the lifestyle but rather knowingly and purposefully do all they can to look good on the outside and neglect the inside. They come to church when they can, they dress in their entire splendor, on occasion they may even help out (usually in high profile circumstances), but rarely do they feel the sting of sin. They have become too calloused and complacent; they are, in fact, numb to pain that sin causes and have never enjoyed true communion with God enough to know when sin has severed that communion. People like this are truly more of a burden than a blessing for because of their perfect appearing lifestyle, they cause others to desire it. Others that may truly be more committed to a Godly relationship with their creator and those who are new believers may misunderstand and be led into thinking that this is what a walk with God is supposed to look like. It’s very polished on the outside and looks good, when, in fact, a Holy relationship with God is one of humility; one of commitment to service, truth, and intimacy that does not allow for the polished look of perfection. After all, wasn't the place of sacrifice in the temple a rather messy and stinky place to be? Who has time to look perfect? Isn't it all we can do to stay in fellowship and communion with God, and is there anything more important than that? Daily Prayer: Father, I pray for those who have been deceived into thinking more about how their walk looks than how they can draw closer to You. Help us, Father, not to fall for such deception. May we all just be real in our relationship with you and with one another. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Godly people don't need polish; they already glow because of Him in them." Gene Burroughs, Pastor