Good morning! Have you ever asked someone to give you their opinion and to be honest with you? Sometimes the truth hurts, but it gives us an opportunity to change or address things we may overlook. Today, we will continue reading Matthew 23. In  these verses, Jesus continues to correct the Pharisees. He laid out the things that separated their hearts from loving and  experiencing what God desired of them.

BIBLE VERSE – Matthew 23:23-26 NLT
“23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!

25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.”

REFLECTION
Jesus called out the teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees. He pointed out character flaw, after character flaw. He said their hearts were full of greed and self-indulgent. He said they were focused on the small things, but missed the more important things. They were focused on cleansing for people to see, but they needed to be cleaned from the inside/internally so that their outside is also affected.

Brothers and sisters, do you struggle with these things too? Well the Lord is giving us an opportunity to address these things in our own lives. Lets ask the Lord to help us change in these areas, lets allow Him set us free from the bondage that holds us back from following Him with our whole heart, body (including our tongue), mind and spirit.

PRAYER
Lord God, thank you for allowing us to hear from you and serve you. Lord, thank you for correcting us when we fail to follow your lead. Lord, thank you for never giving up on us. Lord, forgive us of our sins. Lord, we surrender our lives and will to you. Thank you for giving us mercy in our lives. Lord, be with the homeless people and provide them shelter and a cool place to rest today. Lord, use us to minister and help those who are in need. Lord, we lift up our nation to you, our leaders who are making decisions and those responsible for change. Lord, allow the truth to be exposed and let the healing process begin. Lord, help us to stand for justice, mercy, faith and all the other things that please Y
ou. Lord, work in our hearts so that we may follow you with our whole heart. Lord, cleanse us from the inside out. Change us – let change overflow. Use us to serve you, one another and to make a difference in this world. Lord, start with us. In Jesus name, amen.

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