'Cleaning the Cup'

As I cleaned my car out yesterday I thought about how filthy it looked on the outside.  I did not go and wash the outside but focused only on the inside of my car. I wanted to feel good when I got inside knowing it was not full of dust and dirt. The outside was (is) covered with salt, grime, and dirt. I will wash it at some point of course.

But I saw something deeper in this as I was working. I thought well I am happy it will be squeaky clean on the inside. I felt so good getting it all cleaned. As I worked away getting all these things done, I thought about the parable in Luke 11: 39-40 when Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for cleaning the outside (for men to see and admire) and neglecting the inside (the condition of their hearts) and it struck me that what God sees is on my inside is what matters the most. The lesson I was seeing is how important it is to allow God to 'scrub' the inside of my heart (emotions, thoughts, motives, actions) and not spend as much time working on the outside or not allowing myself to be more concerned with the outside and neglect the inside!

How worried do we get about what people think of our outsides? I hope this helps me remind me it is so much more important that my inside is clean and the window to let His light shine out will be brighter than me.