One thing every gardener knows they must do is clean out their planters and planter boxes. If you don’t, then the new plants you hope to come in them could become tainted the unclean planter. Plants can get sick and die if they are put into a new home that hasn’t been properly cleaned for them. You don’t just dust off the outside of the pots or pull out the visible dead growth from last season and call it good. You have to clean out the whole planter to ensure the next plant as a clean home. You weren’t cleaning the outside of the pot so it looks clean; you clean the inside so it IS clean.
This is exactly what Jesus tells the Pharisees. They had become so obsessed with looking clean – looking the part of religious leaders – that they had actually stopped working to clean out their hearts. Jesus tells them it doesn’t matter how clean the outside looks, if the inside is dirty then the whole pot is dirty. In order to be properly clean, they needed to FIRST clean out the inside – their heart and minds – and in doing so they would naturally become clean on the outside.
We must focus on cleaning out our insides instead of looking the part of spiritual people to the world. We must actually be spiritual people on the inside and then it will naturally show to others.
Outward looks do not matter to God in our inward self is not who God would have us be. Remember, God judges hearts and nothing is hidden from Him. He knows everything. So, instead of lying to ourselves or attempting to fool others and God about being clean on the inside, we should focus on actually becoming clean and pure.
God knows the truth. He knows whether we are only cleaning the outside or if we are working to clean the inside.
Clean the inside so that the outside may also become clean! #lessonsfromthemastergardener
Adonai's Appeal 