What's on your inside?

There is a building in my town.

It started out years ago as a Krystal Burger fast food place.

I have no idea why they shut down. I know we used to go there after baseball games. It seemed busy enough... well, anyway, it shut down.

That building has been several different things over the years. The most recent that I can remember is a Mexican restaurant and now it's a Verizon Wireless store (of all things). 
(I have no idea why the Mexican place closed either.)

This is a dark picture, but I took it yesterday morning:

If you know what Krystal Burger looks like, you can tell it used to be that.

I started thinking yesterday about the many different places this building as been.. on the inside. The outside hasn't changed much. They might have painted the building and changed the sign, but that's it. It maintains it's shape.

As a Christ follower, we still look the same on the outside.

No one can tell just by looking at you, that you are a Christian.

What shows that, is what's on the inside! 

I hear you asking, "But, Jill, how can anyone see what's inside?"

I'm glad you asked.

Your heart shows by your actions. NOT just your words, but your words, if honest, can show someone the inside of you.

See, you can tell someone you love them with your  words... but  in reality, if you are cheating on them, lying to them, being mean to them, yelling at them all the time.. that is how your words can be meaningless... because your actions aren't matching.

I have a favorite line from a band I like it says, "Words are just words until they're put to work."

So, our words have to match our actions for them to be really meaningful.

If you are treating someone with respect, love, and care, then your actions are showing you love them.

We are called to love God and love people. 1 Corinthians 13, the "Love" chapter of the Bible says, this, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

The Holy Spirit will transform your inside if you let Him. You can't speak out of both sides of your mouth. You can't say you love God, live for God and praise God...all the while you aren't fully honestly, really living for Him.

Being a Christ follower who looks the same on the outside, but is different on the inside is how you end up like this building. 

I encourage you to stop living for you. Let God lead, guide and direct you. Give Him your whole life and heart so that you can be changed from the inside.