Inside Out

We don’t go around wearing our clothes inside out. Why not? I’d say it's because they were not made to be worn that way.

The inside is where seams, darts, hems, and thread marks exist. The outside only looks good because of the work done on the inside. That concept is well expressed in Psalm 51:10-12.

After his sin with Bathsheba, David was confronted by the prophet Nathan. Then he humbled himself before God with a prayer of repentance and several requests:

·         Create in me a clean heart, O God

·         Renew a right spirit within me

·         Cast me not away from Your Presence

·         Take not Your Holy Spirit from me

·         Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

·         Sustain me with a willing spirit

 

David looked good on the outside. After his sin, he still walked around in his kingly clothes, and people continued to give him honor. But scripture says, "Man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

God’s word speaks of sins which separate us from Him in a lake of fire instead of heaven for all eternity. One example is Revelation 21:9.

When we repent of our sins and ask God to give us a clean heart, He does not just alter and make spiritual things fit better.

David had it right when he asked God for a clean heart and a right spirit. Paul declared, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

God sees us from the inside out.  Jesus said we’re to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). And Paul told Timothy that our love is to come from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5).

Are you feeling a little unsettled spiritually? Something inside is starting to make you uncomfortable? Perhaps it’s time to review David’s prayer. 

If anything strikes a chord, sincerely make his words yours. Let God give you a clean start.

Pixabay: Shirt, Clothes, Fashion; IdeaTivas-TLM.