Inspirational Article From Joanne Lowe Index of Writings by Joanne Lowe on Gospel Web

INSIDE FIRST

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.”

Matthew 23: 25, 26 King James Version

The Bible tells us that we are not to judge others (Matthew 7:1). Yet many times we are guilty of doing this very thing. It is very dangerous to judge someone because only Jesus knows what is in a person’s heart. What is worse is that sometimes when we are judging somebody and thinking that person needs to get his or her heart right with God; our own hearts are not right with God. I am just as guilty of judging others at times as you are.

We take a bath and put on clean clothes and sometimes wear perfume so we will smell good. However, if we have allowed bitterness, resentment, jealousy, criticism, sarcasm, hatred, and judgment to enter our hearts, we stink in the nostrils of Jesus. It is not what is on the outside that matters to Jesus. He is concerned with the condition of our hearts.

Instead of trying to change other people, we need to make sure that our own hearts are in right standing with Him. A pastor friend of mine said many times in his sermons “If you will concentrate on keeping your own hearts right with God, you won’t have the time to judge others.”

We don’t have the power to change anyone’s heart. Jesus is the only one who can change a person’s heart. Sometimes we are guilty of trying to take over His job. We need to remember the condition that our own hearts were in before we were gloriously saved by the precious blood of Jesus.

When Jesus looks in your heart, what does He see? Does He see things that hurt Him and bring shame to Him or is His heart made to rejoice when He looks in your heart? Has there ever been a time in your life when you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart to be your personal Saviour? If not, there is no better time than right this minute to give your heart and life to Jesus.

The Bible says “now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). If you have never humbled yourself, admitted that you are a sinner and asked Jesus to forgive you and come into your heart to be your personal Saviour, I urge you to do it now. Please don’t wait! Please don’t put it off until tomorrow as you may not have a tomorrow. Don’t miss out on spending eternity with Jesus. Your family loves you and they want to meet you in Heaven. Wouldn’t you rather spend eternity in Heaven with Jesus than spend eternity in hell with satan?

Joanne Lowe

November 9, 2007

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