April 22, 2024 - Matthew 23:27-28

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27-28 NLT

Lord, when we read about the Pharisees in the Bible it can be so easy to judge them for their actions. But they were people who thought they were living to please you. They missed the mark and were more focused on following religious practices and laws than really following and knowing you. That can be such an easy trap to fall into. We can easily fall into the habit of checking all the “right” boxes, and totally miss you, Lord. How often do we do our best to clean up the outside and do all we can to not show our problems or struggles to others. All the while our insides are a dirty mess. We worry about what others think and live for their approval, yet we forget to care about what you think of what we really look like. In doing so, we fall into the same trap you speak about the Pharisees being in in this verse.

Lord, forgive us for any places in our lives where we are doing this. Don’t let us live blind to them. Any place like this in our lives, open our eyes and make it clear to us. Help us change this behavior. We want to live humble and real. When we struggle with lies and sins, let us easily admit it and not worry if some will judge. Some will judge, but others might be set free from our being open and honest. When we are open and honest, it also takes away the devil’s ability to hold us in bondage and shame over our issues. Being humble, open, and honest brings new levels of freedom from our struggles. Lord, we praise you for how you want to wash us clean from the inside out and set us free.

In Jesus name, amen.