More Than Paint

Read: Matthew 23:25-28

Thomas walked into the bathroom and was surprised to see his dad’s legs sticking out from under the sink. “Dad? Why are you hanging out in the cupboard?”

“Well, I saw a water stain on the ceiling downstairs,” his dad’s voice echoed from inside the cabinet. “Water can really damage the inside of a house, so I did a little detective work. Found out this sink is leaking water all the way downstairs.”

“But Dad, it’s Saturday. Don’t you just want to relax? You could just paint over the stain.”

Through the sink drain, Thomas heard a laugh. “Some people do. But that would just cover up the damage. The sink would keep leaking, and our house would rot from the inside out. I’d have to spend a lot more than a Saturday—and a lot more than a few bucks on new fittings—if I ignored this leak.” His head emerged from the cabinet. “You know, I had a situation like this with our pastor this week.”

Thomas’s eyebrows went up. “Pastor John has a leak?”

Now they both laughed. “No, I think he’s fine,” Dad said. “But at church this week, I wanted to look like a good guy. When I was talking to Pastor John, I wanted to tell him about the work we’ve been doing with refugees—not to honor Jesus, but to honor myself. Then I realized I was focusing on outward appearances, just like someone who paints over a water stain. I was more concerned about how others saw me than what Jesus was doing through me.”

“Isn’t that like those guys in the Bible?” asked Thomas. “The…pair-of-fleas, or something like that?”

Dad was tucked in the cabinet again, and his belly quivered with laughter. “You crack me up! Yep, like the Pharisees. Jesus said they were like a nice tombstone—painted on the outside, but inside, full of rotting bones.”

Thomas wrinkled his nose. “Gross!”

“Exactly. If we do things to make ourselves look good but they don’t come from our hearts, God can see the rottenness inside. That’s why we need Jesus to fix our hearts. When we admit our pride and selfishness to Him, He removes the rottenness of our sin so we can show His goodness and love to others from the inside out.”

–Janel Breitenstein

How about you? Is there a leak in your heart that needs to be fixed? Are you trying to cover the stain by looking good on the outside? Even if you can make yourself look good to other people, God sees what’s inside. Don’t try to cover up sin in your heart—you need Jesus to fix it. Confess your sin to Him, and He will remove it and help you be kind and loving inside and out.

Today’s key verse: God doesn’t look at what people see. People judge by what is on the outside, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 (ERV)

Today’s key thought: Do good from the inside out