Appearing Beautiful on the Outside

This weeks Bible Study virtues was fear of the Lord and humility. I have been thinking a lot about hypocrisy. In Matthew 23, Jesus delivered a series of woes to the Pharisees. Jesus says "Woe to you, scribe and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, 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. Blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!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. 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. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

Many times if we see good behavior, we think a person must be inwardly good. This is not always the case. A person can be deceptive for a time. Eventually the bad fruit will show but we can not look at behavior alone. The Pharisees on the outside looked very good. They did all the "right" things. In fact Jesus said they "appeared beautiful outwardly". Jesus compared the Pharisees to a tomb with dead men's bones. They may have looked beautiful and appeared to obey everything but inside they will filled with all evil and lawlessness.

Clean Heart

As I read today's verse in Acts 13:22 for a Proverbs 31 study, the song Create in Me a Clean Heart started bubbling out of me. The lyrics to this song are:

Create in me a clean heart, oh God
And renew a right spirit within me
Create in me a clean heart, oh God
And renew a right spirit within me

Cast me not away from Thy presence, oh Lord
And take not Thy holy spirit from me
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation
And renew a right spirit within me

Scripture: Acts 13:22 - "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as King, to whom also He gave testimony and said " I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will."

Observations: (1). Being a man/woman after God's heart involves doing ALL God's will and not most or everything but just one thing; (2) God raised up David to be King; (3) God gave testimony of David so that the people knew what it meant to have a heart after Him/God; (4) God is the one who removes and puts people into power.

Applications: On Friday, I had worked hard mopping all my wood floors. I did laundry, cleaned the house, mowed the lawn, homeschooled my three year old, played with son, made a lasagna and did many tasks in our home. I hardly ever think to clean under our one bathroom sink or to clean our one desk going down to our basement. However, on this day both came to me to do. It was an impression on my heart that would not leave I was tired from all the other tasks that I had done. I didn't want to ignore what I believed God was telling me to do. I really didn't think it made much sense as I did so much else that day however I knew I better listen.  I started with the desk and tried to organize all the mail. I opened all the mail and put it in a nice, organized pile on the top of the desk. I cleaned the first shelf well. I thought I had done well since that is the most important but I failed to do the other two drawers. I said "that is good since I am tired and I did obey by cleaning the mail shelf." Then later on in the day, medicine spilled in the cabinet under the sink. I cleaned up the medicine and straightened out the cabinet. I, however, did not clean every box or bag under the sink. I interpreted clean under the cabinet as just straighten it out and quickly clean the spilled medicine. There was an impression upon my heart that I was to clean it all but  my son was in the bathtub and I had already worked a lot that day.

Now, I thought my husband would be pleased with having all the mail neatly organized. However, I gave room for the enemy, Satan, to work by not doing all God had said to do. Of course, I could blame my husband and say well he should be putting his mind on all the good things done (which I did) but the fact remains I didn't obey ALL God said to do. I halfheartedly cleaned the desk and cabinet rather than do it all and all for the glory of God. This may seem rather small but it is not because it brought on some really big issues in our home. God says that we are to be faithful in small things.   Luke 16:10 says "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." I thank God that we saw the lack of obedience, Satan's attacks and how it all affected our family but there were consequences.

As for the desk, Saturday night my husband went cleaning the desk. Now why did he start that? He hardly ever does that and we did not talk about what I knew i was to do the day before. He already had all the mail/bills on the top of the desk. However, when he went looking through the other messy drawers he thought he found another bill. This is upsetting as there may be other missing bills. Of course this interaction could result  in the blame game but the fact remains God had put it on my heart even before all this to clean the whole desk. I wanted to clean what i wanted to clean. I did not obey in all of it.

It wasn't just the desk my husband started to look at this weekend . On Sunday after great time with my family, my husband decides to go look in the cabinet under the bathroom. He never usually needs to go it. Why this weekend?  It was a bit frustrating for him. Now he has not thought about this cabinet in years but it is interesting that this was the weekend he did especially when God had put it on my heart to clean it two days before. This frustration led to an incident with my husband and son that stole peace from our home and also caused a sin.

I am a list maker and a schedule maker but it is important for me to do all God tells me to do rather than what is on my list or what I planned to do. I am learning to heed all of what God says (clean all the cabinet and all the desk). It is important to be in faithful in all God says to do in His word and that He guides and speaks us to do throughout our day. When I fail to do what God tells me to do with all my heart, I see sin passing on to my family members. Also, I gave occasion for Satan to come in and attack. Also, God's name is dishonored.

Sometimes we may not see all the effects of failing to do ALL God tells us to do. We may think oh God doesn't instruct us to clean a cabinet or a desk but He does. He guides us in all things. He prepares us for things before they happen. Isaiah 30:21 says "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." We hear God through His Word. The Holy Spirit reminds us of what Jesus says to do and what we are to do. We will hear a voice saying "This is the way; walk in it."

Application Regarding my Desk/Cabinet Siutation:
1. What did God instruct me to do today (what weighed on my heart to do and I made excuses, what did I not do with all my heart, what did I rush through just to get it done).
2. If there was something I rushed through just to get it done - I need to go back and pray for God's strenth and power to do it for His glory.
3. Go back and redo it and do it all well

God sees and knows how Satan will try to divide our families. God sees the end from the beginning. Being obedient to God in all things in His Word and what He directs us to do in our daily tasks shows that our heart is submitted to Him.  1 Samuel 15:22 says "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

 

Prayer: Father, thank you that we can cry out to you to clean our heart. Thank you that if we disobey we can run to you. Thank you that you do tell us the way to walk. Thank you that your Word is a lamp onto our feet and a light onto our path. Thank you Lord that you give us the armor of God to wear. Thank you that you tell us the enemy is not our families but Satan. Father, create in me a clean heart. I am sorry for not cleaning all of the desk and all of the cabinet and that I did not do it wholeheartedly onto you. Please forgiving me for thinking partial cleaning was complete obedience.