Clean Inside and Out

Didn’t the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.
Luke 11:40-41 The Message

Have you ever tried to clean a tight spot? A small place, no room to maneuver? You can't even get enough light in there to see to clean in the tiny, dark spaces. That's a good word picture of how our hearts can be when we close off to others. When we've been hurt and no longer want to let anyone close enough to hurt us again. We just build the wall higher and tighter. It just gets darker, and there's no room in there for anyone else. It's not a good place to be.

However, compassion leads to a larger capacity within our hearts. As we make room for others, light pours in and we have a better view of our behaviors. We are quicker to identify and clean up those thoughts that could lead us back into captivity. We are able to be proactive in cleaning out those areas that were hidden from our sight. As we pour out to those around us, even more areas of our hearts are lit up by God's love and grace working in us.

Yes, as we Turn both [y]our pockets and [y]our hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then [y]our lives will be clean...

Prayer:

Father,
          Give us clean hands and pure hearts, according to Your Word. Give us a fresh anointing of compassion for our fellow man. Pour a new and living anointing into us for understanding Your Word, so that we may be washed clean by it - inside and out. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.