August 12

Written by Bill Grandi on August 12th, 2021

In his devotion on page 270 (Live in Grace-Walk in Love), Bob Goff describes how in SoCal, because it is so dry and like a desert, people who want green yards don’t water them. They have artificial turf rolled across their yard. That’s funny.  But let me tell you something that will strike your funny bone and give you a chuckle.

I have a friend who once lived in AZ. Apache Junction. I went to visit him so we could attend a conference in Cali together. It was January. Freezing back home in Ohio. You know…winter coats. Gloves. Hats. The whole 9 yards. Not wise to have those things in AZ. 🙂 Anyway, the penchant for a green yard was so deeply ingrained in some people, some of his neighbors spray-painted the fine gravel which made up their front yard…Green. I kid you not. Instead of cutting it, they raked it to make it smooth.

Seems silly to me. But many of us do that in our lives.

We smooth, polish, wax and rake the outside so we look all nice and good and proper. Go to church? yes. Sing? Yes. Give our offering? Yes. Say hi and smile? Yes. Read our Bible? Yes.

The outside looks good but the inside is a mess. I’m preaching on Mark 7 this Sunday. That passage includes Jesus’ discussion with the disciples on clean and unclean. Food doesn’t make us unclean. It may not be all that healthy, but it does not determine who we are. It is what proceeds out of us that really shows us for who we are.

Bob’s point in his devotion was that God is hoping to change us from the inside out. I agree. This body is window dressing. The religious things I do are window dressing. What really matters-AND ULTIMATELY MAKES ITS APPEARANCE-is what is in my heart.

“Father, cleanse me inside out. Transform my heart. Help me to stop putting new curtains or blinds on the window dressing and seek to allow You to change my heart.”

 

4 Comments so far ↓

  1. Ryan S says:

    I suspect most if not all do some level of window dressing or lawn raking. However, as you state, what really matters is in the heart and eventually makes its way out.

    Praying for heart change and an impactful message.

    • Bill Grandi says:

      And I suspect you are right! 🙂 I, too, pray for a heart change and impactful message.

  2. When I read this devotion, the astroturf made me laugh, too. But Bob’s message is a serious one – let’s allow God to renew us from the inside out, because He doesn’t want just appearances and lip service.
    Blessings, Bill!

    • Bill Grandi says:

      You’re absolutely right Martha. It is serious stuff-one I need to do a much better job of doing.