What's Inside Your Cup?

Back in January, I was reading the book of Matthew when God gave me a visual I want to share with you.

Think about your favorite tea or coffee mug—the one you can’t get rid of. Maybe it’s like mine: it looks great on the outside, but on the inside it has stains and even a few cracks.

That cup is a lot like us.

When the outside looks fine

Sometimes we try to fill our lives with all the “right” things:

• going to church on Sundays

• joining a group

• volunteering

• listening to worship music

Those are good things. They matter. But if that’s all we do, we can still miss what matters most.

The visual God gave me

As I read Matthew 23:24–25, this picture became so clear:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First, clean the inside of the cup and plate, so that the outside may also be clean.”

The Pharisees and scribes looked like they knew God. On the outside, everything appeared right.

And if we’re honest, we can do the same. We can fill our “cup” with things that make us look put-together—like we have it all together and like we know God—while the inside stays untouched.

What can happen if we’re not careful

Instead of letting God heal what’s inside—our sins, our hurts, our cracks—good activities can become a cover. We stay busy doing things for God, but we neglect being with God.

Serving, volunteering, and going to church were never meant to replace a real relationship with Him.

It’s like creamer in coffee: it’s meant to enhance what’s already there, not take the place of the coffee itself. In the same way, all the good things we do are meant to support our relationship with God—not substitute for it.

Relationship first

Max Lucado recently said (I’m paraphrasing) that God isn’t impressed by everything we can do. He wants relationship. He wants us to seek Him.

Matthew 6:33 says: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Our relationship with God has to come first.

That means making time to sit with Him:

• in His Word

• in worship

• in prayer

Like any relationship, it takes time and effort. We make time for what matters most.

And when we spend time with the Lord, He speaks to us. He begins to heal. He starts repairing the cracks and cleaning the stains on the inside.

From the inside out

So let’s not settle for looking like we know God.

Let’s actually know Him.

Let’s spend time with Him—so our cup can be clean from the inside out.