GUTTERS AND WINDOWS

One time when I was walking somewhere, a spotless white sign with perfect red lettering caught my eye: “Gutters and Windows—Quality Work Guaranteed.” The sign was pristine, but I expected the house and barn directly behind it to collapse at any moment. The paint was peeling, the windows were cracked and the gutters were non-existent!

Many of us ‘advertise’ for Jesus, but maybe our lives are messy and we feel like they are also about to fall apart. We may go to church, speak in ‘Christianese’ and hang out nicely with others, never swearing or doing anything obviously wrong. Yet if we really just want to live for ourselves,
then our first-class behaviour is just an act. When Jesus stood up to the religious leaders of His day, He said, “You . . . outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (MATTHEW 23:28).

Jesus had a different but equally direct message for His friends: “Do not be like the hypocrites” (6:16, NKJV). The Bible encourages us to “love from a pure heart . . . and from sincere faith” (1 TIMOTHY 1:5, NKJV). These inner attitudes should pour out through our words and actions (LUKE 6:45).

Today, think about who you really are. Not who you look like, but who you are inside, where no one can see what you’re thinking. If people look past your outward display, will they meet a person of love?

To pray about . . .

Father, help me to be true to Your love inside and out. I want to be Yours through and through.

GOD WANTS HOW WE LIVE TO BE
A RESULT OF HOW WE LOVE.

YouTh Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries