Daily Devotional
Luke 11:39-40 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
It is true that some of us as believers, from time to time, engage in what can be called. window dressing. On those occasions we make a concerted effort to project a good image on the outside despite operating in contradiction to the word of God. It may seem to work only for a while, but what is on the inside will ultimately be reflected on the outside.
The Pharisees were famous for their window-dressing practices. Jesus rebuked them for this lifestyle while at dinner with a Pharisee who invited Him in Luke 11:39-40. To point out that window dressing was pointless, He asked the question, do ye Pharisees wash the outside of the cup and platter but your inward part is full of ravenous wickedness? Operating like that is pointless because the inside is the most important part of a cup or plate that must be washed, what then would be the point of only washing the outside?
Persistent window dressing in one’s relationship with God is the result of having the wrong motives. That was the issue with the Pharisees; they were more focused on being seen by men than pleasing God. That was the driving force behind them standing in street corners to pray and carrying a countenance to show that they are fasting. To show them that they had the wrong motives, Jesus asked the Pharisee the question, “Did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?” The point that Jesus was making was that since God made the inside and outside he wants both parts to be kept clean. So, by the Pharisee attending to the outside only that could only be the result of having an ulterior motive.
The past does not matter much, so even if you have window dressed in the past, that is not what is most critical. What is important is what you do going forward. Do more than window dressing.
Life Application: Go beyond window dressing by making pleasing God your primary motive evidenced by your daily pursuit to keep your inside and outside clean.
Prayer: Lord, search my heart and know my thoughts. May my motives be pure and my actions reflect that I am truly pleasing you. In Jesus name, amen.
Daily Devotional 
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