Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
In order to clean the house, you must see the dirt. Cleaning house is not usually fun or entertaining. Children do not get excited when momma says it's time to clean house. Many people postpone it, procrastinate, or just ignore the dirt. In time they get used to the dirt and don't even notice it. They develop blind spots and do not see the dirt. They think they are doing themselves a favor because their blind spots keep them from doing the unpleasant work of cleaning the house. After all, if they don't see the dirt then why get all dirty and sweaty cleaning house. It is easier to simply pretend that the dirt doesn't exist. But living in a dirty house has its drawbacks. It might cause health problems. Clutter could be a falling hazard. It may also cause feelings of loneliness and rejection when other people choose to avoid the dirty house. The scribes and Pharisees developed major blind spots. They could not see the dirt in their houses. They were unwittingly keeping themselves out of the heaven. They thought they were doing themselves a spiritual favor, but they were hurting themselves. Jesus was trying to wake them up before it was too late. In order to clean the house, you have to see the dirt, there is no way around this simple saying. Most people do not get excited about it, but it is exciting to those people that truly want a clean house. They will not postpone and procrastinate. They will not ignore the dirt. They will do themselves a true favor, an eternal favor, and engage the work of "working out their own salvation with fear and trembling.," (Philippian 2:12)
Synopsis
Page 13 ... Cleaning house may not be fun, but it's part of life. We can postpone the cleaning, live with the dirt, and pretend the dirt is normal. We may even think we did ourselves a favor by hiding the dirt under the rug or stuffing it under the bed. After all, if we don't see it, then why go through the pain of cleaning house.
Page 15 ... We clean both the obvious dirt and the dirt hiding in corners. Ignoring the hidden dirt defeats the goal just like it defeated the Pharisees. They convinced themselves that their house was clean. They thought that a little maintenance was all they needed, a little Sabbath keeping, observe a few holy days, and they would be good. They thought they could pass a white glove inspection. Jesus told them they were not ready for a white glove inspection.
Page 17 ... The Pharisees focused on other people but ignored their own dirt. They held other people to a higher standard. It was a ploy to divert attention from the mess in their lives. They felt holy when pointing out faults in other people. It was the path of least resistance, but that practice left their house filthy. Jesus warned:
Page 23 ... The Pharisees trained people to ignore dirt. Instead of bringing converts closer to God, they pulled converts away from God. Sadly, there are many Pharisees in the world today that say it's ok to keep the dirt.
Page 27 ... Listening to other people is wise. I am not saying that everyone with a cleaning tip is right, but it is wise to listen before dismissing an idea or suggestion. Having another set of eyes on the problem can be helpful but in the end, we are responsible for our own lives.