The Inside

A little over a week ago I returned home from directing a week of camp in southern Oklahoma. As is the case each year it was a hot week of camp. Not only is it hot there, it is also a very dusty place. The roads around the camp are either gravel or dirt roads and it seems as if the dust is constantly in the air. When I returned home both the outside and the inside of my truck needed to be cleaned. Well the afternoon that I returned I took a long nap and began the recovery process. The recovery process continued the next day as well. On the Monday following camp it was my mothers 80th birthday and my family had plans to be with her on that day.

When I woke up on Monday morning we decided to take two cars so we could pick up some furniture for my daughters college apartment. One of the cars was going to be my dirty truck. Once the decision to take the truck was made I had a new item on my “things to do” list – wash the truck. So I headed to the car wash. In my haste I decided to only have the outside washed. I was in a hurry and it made since to me at the time. After the wash, my red truck looked nice and clean. I even spent an extra dollar or two to get the tires cleaned and shined.

Later that day my son got in the truck with me to run an errand and his immediate comment was, “I thought you had your truck cleaned?” I explain that I was in a hurry and just cleaned the outside. Upon hearing that he replied, “the inside is the most important part to keep clean”. It had happened; I had been put in my place by my youngest son. He was right. The inside is the most important part to keep clean. The inside is where the driver and passengers sit. It is where all the electronics are kept. If anything needs to be kept clean it’s the inside.

What a lesson for life: Take care of the Inside – It’s The Most Important Part!

Too many people are making the same mistake that I made with my truck in their personal lives. As a culture we spend billions of dollars (or more) working on the outward appearance. We invest in clothing, shoes, hair styles, gym memberships, P90X type programs, weight loss programs, jewelry, and a number of other things just to look good on the outside. I know people that don’t workout, but wear workout clothing just so they can look like they are working on their body. The outer man is being well taken care of by most people. What about the inside?

The inside is the most important part of a person. What do you do to take care of the inside? Do you read, study, pray, discern the word of God? Do you attend a Bible study? Do you attend a worship service? Do you have someone that challenges your thinking and encourages spiritual growth and maturity? Do you look for opportunities to grow spiritual and work on the inside? When you add up all the time you spend working on the inside is it minutes or hours each week?

The goal of this week’s High Pointe of the Week is to encourage each of us to take better care of the inside. After all, it is the most important part. The inside has to last for eternity. So begin your spiritual P90X program today. Really! Get with it!

Love God. God Love Others.