Christianity is both Internal and External

As He was speaking a Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and reclined at the table. When the Pharisee saw this, he was amazed that He did not first perform the ritual washing before dinner. But the Lord said to him: "Now you Pharisee's clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and evil. Fools! Didn't He who made the outside make the inside also? But give from what is within to the poor, and then everything is clean for you.
But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, and you bypass justice and love for God. These things you should have done without neglecting the others. Luke 11:37-42

The Pharisee invited Jesus in. Jesus came in and did something he did not expect and then Jesus took up the challenge, He confronted first. It was not the Pharisee's best day in one respect but if he could humble himself and receive the truth spoken, the best day.

Jesus tells the Pharisee that the Father created both his inside and his outside, therefore shouldn't He be Lord over both. Yet the Pharisee chose to allow Lordship over a visibly public area that made him proud. However, if he had allowed the Father to be Lord of his heart then justice, mercy and love for the poor would flow. As it was, there was no love for the poor in them.

My Christianity must first be on the inside before it can become public. However both are necessary. As I am public with my Christianity, in doing good, my Father is glorified. It is not good enough to be a hidden or  a closet Christian, I must be seen as one, and that does not mean I am brow beating the lost, rather I am serving them. Amen!


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