Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

Matthew 23:25-27

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.’[b

My brothers and I were always so excited when it came time to paint our Texas home every five years. (NOT!) But, Dad said, "Do it boys" ... so, we sluggishly dipped our brushes, told our friends we'd play baseball later, and we'd make our house shine like new. Mowing the grass, weeding the flower bed, painting the house and watering the trees ... the yard was our job with Dad. Our house looked good on the outside. But inside, it was everybody's job to make the home a happy place to live and a place that honored God in every way.

images/Blog Images/show/uk4i" src=" " alt=" " />Did the inside view always look as good as the outside view? Not always. Definitely not always. But, rest assured God isn't nearly as concerned about the length of the grass in the front yard or the shade of the paint on the front door as He is the length of our arguments or the shades of gray in our heart.

Cleaning up the inside of the home is a daily job. It happens as we get on our knees at night and truly forgive those who've let us down. It happens as we say, "I'm sorry" and determine to follow Christ more diligently tomorrow.

Painting the house and mowing the lawn are great ways to polish our houses, but painting the walls of our heart and cutting the bitterness out of our minds is a greater way to polish our lives.


QUESTIONS:
1. What can I do today to help beautify the outside of my home?
2. What can I do today to help beautify the inside of my home?

LIFELINE:
A family working together can have a beautiful home whether you drive by on the street or stop by for dinner.

Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

Matthew 23:1-3

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

1 “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.’[b

An American president pushed a law encouraging thousands of unnecessary abortions as he speaks on television of our nation's need to spend more money to fight crime.

A big brother boasts of his great accomplishments in football as he buys his little brother beer for a Saturday night party.

A father punishes a child for cheating on a test while he cheats on his tax report to the I.R.S.

images/Blog Images/show/uk4i" src=" " alt=" " /> A mom scolds a child for talking back at the kitchen table while she dominated the dad and insubordinates his authority at home.

They party on Saturday and carry their Bibles to Sunday school.

Hypocrisy ... it's the antithesis of leadership. It's confusing, misleading and destructive.

Leadership is consistent. The one you follow is the one you trust. Jesus always did what he said and condemned those who didn't.

Then He dared to forgive our inconsistencies.

QUESTIONS:
1. Who are you a leader to?
2. How can you demonstrate consistent leadership?
3. Who are you following? What kind of a leader is he/she?

LIFELINE:
Home is the place to forgive inconsistencies and where we strive to be more consistent.

Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

Matthew 22:35-39

35 “One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Plain and simple, it's the key to happiness. Jesus made it so easy to understand. "You wanna enjoy life? Put God first. You wanna enjoy it greatly? Put others second. You wanna enjoy it to the max? Put yourself third. At our sports camps, we call it, "I'm Third." It's our motto. It works in homes better than anywhere.

Johnny Ferrier was a longtime family friend who chose to guide his crippled Air National Guard jet into a backyard garden in the center of a heavily populated suburb injuring no one but himself instead of bailing out for personal safety and killing many innocent civilians. He was "I'm Third" to the last breath.

images/Blog Images/show/uk4i" src=" " alt=" " />God rules, no doubt. Allowing Him to rule my priorities is what puts Him first.

Loving others, serving others, putting their needs first, is what makes others second.

Loving yourself, treating your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, not putting alcohol or drugs into it, not filling your eyes or ears with impure sights and sounds is what makes yourself third

Jesus - Others - Yourself -- that spells joy. It also is the simplest formula for a truly happy home.

QUESTIONS:
1. What does putting "God first" mean to you?
2. What are some specific ways you can practice "I'm Third" today?
3. Who are a couple of people you need to be more "I'm Third" with?

LIFELINE:
An "I'm Third" home is a great place to live.

Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

 

PREMEDITATED SACRIFICE

Reprint Compliments of Men At The Cross By Joe White

Matthew 20:18-19

[i] 18"See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."

Little Lori Ann was 14 when she slipped into the back row of our rowdy, fun and growing youth group. The patch over her eye gave it away immediately as I looked at her precious innocent face. Lori was the girl with facial cancer. The surgeon had to remove her eye to try to save her life. Over the next two years, the cancer spread throughout her face and neck. As she walked steadily towards death, her faith grew stronger. We became very close and talked as a father and daughter would about death, heaven and Christ's provision for eternal life. Lori grew to love her Savior.

The week before her death, her doctor came into her room and told her that they had done all they could. The medicines weren't working. Soon the tumors would take over. With faith like an 80-year-old saint, Lori looking at her doctor and without a whimper said, "I appreciate all you've done, but don't worry, I won't die when the medicine runs out, I'll die when Jesus takes me home."

images/Blog Images/show/uk4i" src=" " alt=" " />
Lori's last words before she closed her eye for the last time were to her mom as she softly whispered, "Mom, I hope some day you'll know Jesus like I do."

QUESTIONS:
1. If Jesus knew when He'd die and how He'd die, why didn't He change the plan and run?
2. What do you think His disciples thought when he told them the fate that was ahead of Him?
3. How can a 16-year-old like my friend Lori have such great faith?

LIFELINE:
Just before Lori died, she said to her mom, "Mom, I hope you can get to know Jesus the way I do." Faith is shared most intimately at home.