God Sees Me!Shembull

God sees you as you really are

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28)

Some people are really good at keeping up appearances. They seem so friendly and honorable, dedicate themselves to the well-being of their community, maybe even serve in their local church… But deep within, they are egocentric and proud.

Jesus does not mince His words when He meets such people, especially if they are religious leaders who should set an example for others. He compares them to graves that look nice from the outside, but are disgusting on the inside. Their righteousness is fake. It’s just outer rituals. Their hearts are not pure for God.

The Lord God hates hypocrisy. In Isaiah 1, He even says the people’s sacrifices and offerings in Isaiah’s day are detestable to Him, since they are accompanied by evil deeds. The people are oppressing and exploiting the poor and vulnerable among them, which is clearly against God’s will. Therefore, God has no pleasure in their religious performances and does not listen to their prayers. He is not interested in the outside, but in people’s hearts and motives.

Do you try to keep up appearances for other people or for God? Or do you show Him your heart openly? Read in 1 John 4:18-19 what blessing this can bring!