Day 10 A Clean Cup

There is nothing like spending the day cleaning house.  It was time for a good deep cleaning all over. I lost track of how many loads of laundry.  All the bedding was washed, the floors washed and waxed and three dogs took a bath.  I opened up all the windows in the house to let in the fresh fall air.  I lit a yummy apple scented candle and cranked up the praise tunes.  The hum of the dryer is still running as I type.  I feel great after a long hard day cleaning away the dust, dog hair and clutter.  It makes me think of Jesus own words to the Pharasees.  They were good at keeping the outside clean, but the inside (like my house) was a mess.

 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too." Matthew 23:25-26

This reminds me of another lesson I have learned in my journey battling cancer.  It is really important to take a personal inventory.  What I mean by this is every so often do a self-examination of your heart, the inside of your heart: the cup.  Jesus was pointing out that the Pharisees knew all the right words to say and even how to act.  Most of the time they even fooled themselves and everyone around them.  God can not be fooled.  He knows your heart.  You may even wonder why then do I need to take inventory?  Good question.  David is a good example of a man who desired to follow God's laws.  He inquired of the Lord to show him what iniquity was hidden in his heart.  Psalm 139 is a great example of a willing heart to be examined and shown any sin.  The Pharisees didn't even want to look at the inside of their hearts.  This is a dangerous place to be.  To pretend everything is fine on the outside while deep inside you are a wreck.  The solution is easier than you think.  All it requires is a heart willing to acknowledge sin and then repent.  When you start reading the Word more and more it reveals truth and lies hidden in your heart.  Sometimes before you even go to the Word you know in your conscious that you did something wrong or you had motives that were wrong.  That is the beauty of having the Holy Spirit to guide us along on our faith journey. 

So today as I was cleaning away, I took inventory in my heart.  I had to ask for forgiveness and clean up the inside of my heart.  It was a beautiful thing.  Now I have a clean cup.