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Oct 05, 2023 18:30pm

What’s in Your Closet?

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I had been allowing a friend to stay in my old house and told her I’d be coming by for something one day. I knew when she asked to stay there that she wasn’t the neatest person and struggled with keeping things clean, but I had agreed anyways.

I was fully prepared to see a mess when I opened the door. But to my surprise, it was fairly clean. The rooms were straightened up, no dishes in the sink, and no clothes thrown over the furniture. Wow. I really didn’t expect that.

Back to what I was there for. I needed something I had stored in a closet in a room toward the back of the house. When I opened the closet door, my jaw dropped. It was full of shoes and clothes and bags just stuffed in there and right in the middle were boxes of dirty dishes. I couldn’t believe it. While the house appeared to be clean, I’m sure she never expected me to open that closet door.

Read Luke 11:37-54

I’m going to pull just a small portion out of this passage this morning.

“And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.”

Washing was more of a ceremonial ritual than it was for cleanliness. In fact, it was something done by the priests. This was an act of washing away contamination of anything unclean. And they made a public display of it.

And then they had the audacity to look down on Jesus for not doing so.

The Pharisees were all about looking the part. Fanciful robes, the appearance of someone in authority, and they followed all the laws that made them look religious.

But what about on the inside?

Jesus opened the closet door.

It revealed the dirty laundry and dishes stacked high. They were good about appearing to be clean and worthy but the inside told a different story.

So, here’s my question today. What are we trying to appear to be? Does the inside match the outside? We’re all different. Some are hurting inside but feel they have to put on a brave or smiling face to pretend all is great in the Christian life. Can I tell you that’s bologna? Christ never said we wouldn’t have troubles as Christians and He certainly never said we should keep it hidden away. Others put on a show and pretend to love God, but at home, or away from other Christians, there is no evidence of Christ in their life. Or maybe it’s just that someone is trying to do as much good as possible to be a “good person” as if that has any eternal rewards.

What’s in your closet? What does Jesus see that’s hidden to the rest of us?

Will you let Him clean it up? He is gracious and merciful friends. He knows exactly where we are and who we are. He sees all. He knows all. And He loves us anyways.

Let Him open the door to the darkest parts of your heart that you hide from the rest of the world. Let Him cleanse you from within.

Let Him change you.