How clean is the inside of the cup?

            In Israel the people would paint the outside of the tombs every year.  This was done so that no one would accidentally defile himself by touching something that was dead or was in the presence of a dead person and become unclean for seven days.  The stark white of the tomb was an extreme contrast to the brown and tan of the desert landscape that surrounded them.  There was no mistaking the unclean for the clean.

The scribes and Pharisees were so righteous in their actions that they were also an extreme contrast to the normal working people around them.  Jesus points out, however, that the comparison didn’t stop with the appearance.  Like the tombs that were beautiful on the outside, they were also full of uncleanness and death.  They looked good when you looked at their actions, but their motives and attitudes were lawless and hypocritical. 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”  Matt. 23:27-28

Our society is marked by our desire to look good on the outside.  We go to the right school and get a degree or two or three in the right field.  It hardly matters what we actually learned or if we have any aptitude in our given field.  We work hard to drive the right car and buy a house in a good neighborhood, but is it worth the amount of debt we have to carry to pull it off?  As we age, we buy anti-wrinkle creams and invest in face-lifts and private trainers to continue to look young.  A former President said that character doesn’t matter.  As long as we look good and can get the job done, we’re OK. 

As Christians, our standards are to be different.  We are to understand that there are many different ways to obtain an education, and that location isn’t everything.  A pretty face is just that, a pretty face, and no more.  Our standards are supposed to be God’s standards, and so we look for humility, a heart that is tuned to the voice of God, and the fruit of the Spirit evidenced in one’s life.  We count as success the wisdom and knowledge of God that one applies to their life.  We love simply because God loves.  We offer forgiveness and mercy, remembering how much God offered to us. 

Our faith must be lived on God’s terms, lest we also become hypocrites, lumped in with the scribes and Pharisees.  We must learn to see through God’s eyes, to love with His heart, to think with the very mind of Christ.  This is real faith.  This is belief in action.

“…God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  I Sam. 16:7b 

Shine as lights!

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world…”  Philippians 2:14-15

The computer is refusing to work.  It has decided only to print every other document that is sent to it.  The boss is rumbling around like a champagne bottle that has been shaken a bit, and the lady waiting to be helped at the desk is beginning to turn an interesting shade of red. Her voice is getting louder and higher pitched by the moment. 

Right now, I have a choice.  What I want to do is grumble under my breath (loud enough for everybody to hear, of course) something about being the only one to do any work around here.  What I would love to do is to pick my computer up and heave it out the window.   I would also love to tell my champagne bottle boss to put a cork in it.  I could do any of those things, and most people would tell me that I was justified.  I was just reacting under stress as any normal person would.  But that wouldn’t change the fact that I have a personal witness as a Christian in the workplace, one that could easily be damaged by any of the above actions. 

Paul is suggesting that if we simply conduct ourselves without grumbling or disputing, we will show ourselves to be blameless, above reproach, and we will shine as stars or lights in the midst of our generation.  That’s all.  Just don’t complain.  Don’t grumble or argue.  Seems simple enough, yet we know that controlling our tongue is no easy matter.  For many of us in fact, it’s one of the hardest parts of living the Christian life.  Prayer is a part of everyday life.  Worship is a joy.  I hunger for God’s word.  But my tongue seems to get the best of me far too often.

As I go through my day, Lord, help me shine.  Point out every time I grumble and whine about where You have put me or what You are asking me to do.  Let me be a light in the midst of a perverse generation.

Lone Ranger Christians

Man was created for community.  From the time God looked at Adam in the garden of Eden and remarked “It is not good for man to be alone” through the end of Revelation where all believers are together as the Bride of Christ, God has made it clear that we need each other.  We were not meant to function alone.

There seems to be an alarming trend among Christians today to assert their independence.  “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian” they say.  And to an extent they are right.  God’s grace is extended to individuals who come to Him in faith.  But on anther level they are missing out on blessing and strength for victorious living.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor…If one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him; a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9,12

Two people working together on anything have an advantage over one person working alone.  The two inspire each other, bounce ideas off each other, point out each others weaknesses.  By combining their strengths, both are better individuals than they would be operating singly.  One person alone can be easily overcome, easily discouraged, but two together can retain perspective.  Imagine what three people together can do, especially three who are untied by one Head and one Spirit.

God uses us for each other.  He has chosen to work through people, for people.  He has chosen to encourage us, strengthen us, and help us fight off the attacks of the Evil One by giving us to each other and working through us for each others benefit.  If you are one of the Lone Ranger Christians who choose to go through your daily walk alone, you’re short changing yourself.  People are messy.  People are emotional and irrational and often let you down.  If you get involved with other Christians, you will be frustrated, and you will be blessed. 

God will make you stronger because of it.

Look around you. Who has God put in your life to strengthen you? To strengthen them? Who can you reach out to, not only for their benefit, but for you?