Your 'Soul Cup'

~~~ 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 139 ~~~ Matthew 23:23-26 ~~~

You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

This verse is from Psalm 139, 

one of the most beautiful psalms in the Bible.

God knew you before you were completely put together.

God created you in your mother's womb.

God knows intimately what you are made of..

how you were made.

When you are born God releases you into the world.

In your younger days you take delight in the simple pleasures of life.

All things are good, in the perfect world.

You are fed, clothed, and most importantly loved.

Over time we begin to change...

These changes are not always for our good.

We get ourselves into situations we would rather not be...

we begin to keep them hidden inside.

Paul learns that it is best to not keep things hidden inside.

He tells the people his words come directly from God.

He is not trying to deceive, fool, or impress anyone.

He is openly doing what God has entrusted him 

to do...preach the good news.

...we were determined to share with you

not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well...

Fast forward to Jesus speaking to the scribes and Pharisees.

They have become hypocrites.

Jesus sees right through their external facade.

The are just empty shells of brick and plaster 

with nothing of substance inside.

He probes into their very being.

He sees the inside of the cup.

They have spent so much time making 

their physical appearance perfect that inside has become corroded.

You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,

but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.

They have let the inside of the cup...their soul...

become almost unrecognizable to their creator.

God must be disappointed when he sees

 how we forget about the inside of our soul cup.

As you grow in holiness you come to understand

 that it is the inside of the cup that must receive your attention.

It does not matter what the outside looks like

 if the inside to crusted over with many years of debris.

The inside of our cup becomes defiled because 

we become preoccupied with things that do not matter

Our task is to dedicate time to keep the inside of our cup clean.

This is not too difficult as long as we do not let 

scum and mildew defile the inside.

Keep ever present in your mind the understanding that

God knows you inside and out.

His interest and love for you

is primarily focused

 on the inside of your 'soul cup'.

You are Blessed by a God who knows 

how lovely you can be both outside and inside.

It was your inside 'soul cup' that he created first.

Get busy with the scrubbing brushes.

Bring back the shine inside.

~~~Peace~~~