Inside The Shell
INSIDE THE SHELL
Read Matthew 23:23-28.
“Half of these nuts aren’t any good,” said Cate, who was cracking nuts for the dessert her mother was making. “They’re black inside.”
“Use the good ones,” advised Karl.
Cate told her brother, “You can’t tell which ones are good. They all look fine on the outside.”
“I can tell,” insisted Karl. “This one’s good.” Cate cracked it open. Sure enough, it was good. Karl chose another one. Cate cracked it open. No, it was dried up and black. Karl handed her another nut. It, too, was no good.
“You can’t tell any better than I can,” Cate said, cracking one Karl had turned down. It was good.
“Let’s choose every other one,” suggested Karl. “Let’s see who can find the most good ones.” Soon the job was done.
As the family ate dessert that evening, Cate told Dad about the trouble with the nuts. “They sound like some people I know,” said Dad.
Karl asked, “You know some nutty people?”
Dad smiled. “I know some people who look good on the outside, but I’m not sure what we’d see on the inside,” he explained. “Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees were like that. They appeared to be good but really were hypocrites.”
“I wonder how many people are like that today,” added Mom. “We can’t tell for sure who has accepted Jesus as Savior. Only God knows. He sees through the ‘shell’ and knows what everyone is like on the inside.”
Cate nodded. “We can’t fool God, can we?”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you fooling people? Do you go to church, say your memory verses, and look good to others? Your parents and teacher may think you’re a Christian, but have you truly trusted Jesus as Savior? If you haven’t done so, accept Him today. Be clean and whole inside as well as outside.
TO MEMORIZE:
Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 23:28
BE CLEAN INSIDE.
From the book
