Clean Your Cup

How many of us leave the house in the morning and try to look our absolute worst?  You know what I'm talking about....mismatched socks, teeth brushing forgotten, stains on the shirt, hair not combed?!  Me either.  We always try to look our best.  But how many of us, even though we take the time to make sure our outward appearance is up to par, forget to check the inside?  Which leads me to my Bible reading this morning.

Matthew 23: 25&26-Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Yuck.  Self-reflection time...and I thought I was doing so good!  I try so hard to make sure I look presentable and good when I go out, when I go to work, when I'm with my friends, or when I go to church, but how many times (if I really thought about it) does the outside look great to people, but my inside is black?  I might have a poor attitude or be angry that morning.  Maybe I'm grumpy because my favorite shoe went missing or my daughters aren't listening.  Maybe I know God's telling me something I should do different in my life, and I'm openly defiant to what He's telling me to do  Who knows what it is.

Jesus tells them clean up the inside, so that the outside can shine, too!  When we have our hearts right and we're in submission to God's authority, it makes us shine.  When we confess that sin to Christ or give up the bad attitude, we gleam.  Our countenance is different.  People see a difference.

I have not always had the most faithful walk.  I accepted Christ when I was 5.  I grew up in church and always knew what was right as far as having a personal relationship with Christ.  But let me be the first to say, I usually NEVER made the right choices!  And for the last 2 years, I've been working on changing that. 

And people see it.  People tell me they can hear the joy in heart when I speak, they can see the contentment I have after I decided to let God have control of my life.  They see a peace that they didn't before.  I don't write these things to be lifted up.  I write these things because those 2 verses sum up what's different.  I scrubbed out the inside of my "cup" so that my cup can run over....run over with His love.

I challenge you to clean your cup....inside AND out!