BEWARE OF THE PHARISAICAL ATTITUDE

Have you ever bit into an apple that was simply beautiful on the outside only to find out that the closer you got to the core the more rotten it became?  You were craving a juicy, sweet fruit but what you got was nothing but a bite of raw bitterness that left a bad taste in your mouth.

Similarly, have you ever met someone who appeared to be the epitome of Christianity only to find out that their inner attitude betrayed their appearance?  Leaves that same bad taste in your mouth, doesn't it?

There was a group of folks in Jesus' day, the Pharisees, who were very much like the person I just described.  Apparently their hypocrisy left a bitter taste in Jesus' mouth and he called them on it...

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness.
                                    Matthew 23:27

Whoa, talk about a rebuke!  If Jesus were speaking today he might say something like this (replacing the name Pharisee for Christian)...You Christians think you're all that.  You look like Christians on the outside.  You dress just so but your attitude stinks.  You have some issues of the heart that you need to take care of.  Hypocrites!!

Though the term Pharisee is no longer used in today's society, there is no shortage of pharisees in Christianity today.  By that I mean that there are still those who are committed to looking like the perfect Christian specimen but their Christianity is only skin deep.  Their hearts are full of vanity, pride, hatred, judgmentalism, disdain and self-righteousness.  Furthermore, Jesus still hates it!  

Why?  Because this attitude is so very damaging to the innocent bystander, to the person who is truly seeking to be holy.

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men:

for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

                                      Matthew 23:13

There is an old adage that says..."One bad apple spoils the whole bunch".  Oh how true that is!  Likewise, one person (or one group of people) with this Pharisaical attitude can damage many souls.  I know this from personal experience.  I was once affiliated with a group of modern day Pharisees.  Apparently they had not been taught that true holiness resonates from the inside and that making the outside shine doesn't get rid of the dirt that lurks around inside their stinky little hearts.  It merely hides it away from unsuspecting souls.  Their Pharisaical attitude at times rubbed off on myself, my husband and my children but for the most part it ate away at our spirit and damaged, even crippled our walk with God.  I am assured that this is the very reason that Jesus was (and still is) so against it.  Truthfully God is repulsed by it and I am too.

We have since disaffiliated with that group and our walk with God is improving, but the whole experience left a bitter taste in our mouths.

As true Christians we owe it to ourselves and to those around us to examine ourselves daily and make sure that our attitudes stay fresh and pure and that the core of our heart stays sweet.  We mustn't take any chances of allowing any root of bitterness to spring up within us that would trouble ourselves or defile any one else.

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;

lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble [you],

and thereby many be defiled.

                                      Hebrews 12:15

We must make sure that the inside of our hearts are as nice and holy as we appear to be outwardly.

We must mindfully

BEWARE OF THE PHARISAICAL ATTITUDE!