Clean the Inside First - True Purity Starts Within

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”Matthew 23:25-26 So, are we really that “pure” on the inside? I’m pretty sure, despite my best effort, I’m not that pure on the outside...Purity is about being clean in what we see, what we say, what we think, and how we live. These things determine how we act. It’s an internal state of being clean that produces positive outward actions. Purity is what keeps us knowing and doing what’s right.We shouldn’t just pretend to have it all together on the outside. That’s just being fake. We need to look inward and see what areas we need to clean up. I’ve done a lot of this...it’s scary.Maybe it’s not getting angry, frustrated, or jealous of others but being patient and happy for them.Or it could be choosing not to swear when you hear others do it, and being clean in the things you say. I’m bad about letting a curse word slip if I’ve been around it a lot, it’s frustrating to me and takes an effort to not do it. It could be keeping your mind clean and only thinking about good things.Or even not looking at or watching things that you know you shouldn’t. Like most of what’s on TV now, like the news channels. So, what areas of your life do you need to clean up a little bit? Lord knows I’ve got some.When we can figure out how to live our lives with purity, then we’ll start to act the way God intended for us to act.“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”Psalms 51:10Be Nice. Grace Wins.