ARE YOU LIKE WHITEWASHED TOMBS?

"For ye are like unto whited Sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness". Matthews: 23:27. Yes, yes, if we are not careful we can cover up what's there..wear a Christian tee shirt, carry our Bible, smile like everything great, and talk a good game about our walk with the Lord. But deep inside the ugly old us with its old habits are..waiting to be revealed the moment life gets messy..We can become a modern-day Pharisee who focuses on the white wash..and ignores the dirty stuffs underneath. In Matthew 23, we see Jesus hated the way the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees preached but did not practice. They performed "all their deeds to be seen by others", they delighted to have their spiritual eminence recognized and rewarded, they practiced legalism while allowing loopholes that rationalized cherished sin, they did everything appear righteous while doing nothing to be righteous, and they made a show of the Bible while doing virtually nothing to obey it. Sadly "it sounds like my church"! Isn't it? Then again if we are honest, we would lament "It sounds like my heart". We are living in an appearance-driven society focusing on looks and out ward portrayal instead of our spiritual condition. How can we stop it? Follow Jesus' example. 1) He specialized in ministering to the broken, the forgotten, the lost and lonely. 2) Never forget that while you are a Christian, you will struggle in certain area. 3) Ask God to reveal behavior patterns that are appearance oriented instead of heart-oriented. 4) Surround yourself with transparent people who lift you when you fall and encourage you to be real. I KNOW THIS IS HARD TO SWALLOW BUT GOD WANTS ME TO POST IT.