Inside Out

Titus 3:3-8

The Message (MSG)

3-8 It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life!  

Luke 3:16

The Message (MSG)

16-17 But John intervened: “I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”

In both of these scriptures it talks about changing us from the inside out, not from the outside in. We humans sometimes are so much more worried about what we look like on the outside rather than what we are truly like on the inside.

It's kind of like taking care of our cars. We can wash them, vacuum them, detail them completely, but if we don't check the oil, fill them with gas, check the tires and keep them tuned up it makes no difference how clean they are. They will just be sitting in our driveways. 

There is another thing that I noticed from these readings. We do not have to change on our own. We can come to Christ as flawed we are. God loves us enough to take us "as is". When we except the gift, of Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to us. He helps us with the changes in our attitudes, the changes in our thinking of others, the changes in our actions, and helps us move towards being more and more Christ like on the inside, so that it shows in our actions on the outside.

Basically speaking the Holy Spirit is our conscience. Cleaning us and helping us move towards perfection. God sent His Spirit because He loves us and wants the best for us. There is a warning with this though. Rejecting or speaking evil of this gift, according to the scriptures, is unforgivable....

Matthew 12:31-32

New Century Version (NCV)

31 So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sin and everything they say against God. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, now or in the future.

God is a big guy. Jesus is a tough guy. They can take our attitude, our anger, our doubts. But they cannot nor will not take the rejection of the gift of the Spirit.

The next time your feel your conscience speaking to you, be grateful. You have a God who wants you to be your best. How could we even question this. He gave us life. He gave us wisdom. He gave us love. He gave us His son. He gave us His Spirit. In other words He has given us all He can give.

Here's to feeling squeaky clean. Inside out!!!

Blessings!