Daily Devotional
Transformation: It’s an Inside Job
May 9, 2019
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Matthew 23:26
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What happens when we try to help others? In today’s mindset, we start on the outside, thinking if we can change their environment (their home, clothes, food, education), then we can create a new person. It cannot be done. It was in the Garden of Eden—the most perfect environment—that mankind got into trouble in the first place.
Cleaning up the outside is just reformation. When you clean up the inside—the heart, mind, and spirit—the person is regenerated. Jesus is telling the Pharisees in this verse that they don’t need another bath, they need another birth—a new birth.
ACTION POINT:
It’s not that we ought not to help others. We should. But people need more than soap and soup; they need salvation. They need a birth from above, not merely a boost from below. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with your neighbor is the best “social work” you can do.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
