What’s Inside

Submitted by Lara Cook
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”  1 Samuel 16:7

I have been looking for a new trash can for my kitchen. The one I have is old, dingy, stained white plastic, and the lid is long gone.  It is an eyesore sitting in my kitchen for all to see.  I want a nicer one, maybe a sleek satin nickel finish with a lid.  It’s a trash can.  It sounds like I am describing anything but a trash can. I am putting a lot of time and energy into finding something to fill with trash.  I want it to look nice on the outside but I am just going to fill the inside with garbage.  However, we do this same thing with many different areas of our lives.  We put a lot of money and time into making things look good on the outside without thinking about what we put on the inside – our bodies, our homes, the most expensive or sportiest luxury car, and the list goes on.

We spend a lot of time on outward appearances and never take into account the garbage we are filling these beautiful containers with.  We overspend and work hard to keep them looking beautiful so that others will see beauty when they look our way.  It is true that first impressions hold a lot of weight, but not in God’s eyes.  He looks at what’s inside.  If we put all our work in the outside appearance of everything and fill the inside with garbage, eventually what’s on the inside is going to seep out, overflow, and stain the outside just like my old, dirty trashcan.  When we get our priorities inside out, making what is on the outside the most important thing and neglecting what is important, the inside can start to rot.  Fill your heart, home, family and life with Jesus and what is on the inside will shine through. 

Scripture to Claim:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…Ephesians 1:3-4