More than Clean Hands

The Lord used James chapter 4 recently to remind me that He doesn’t just want us to look like Christians on the outside, He wants us to look like Christ on the inside, too.

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!”

As we get closer to God, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. We’re called double minded because we want to love the world and also love God. But James reminds us that we need to seek God first. We are to “cleanse our hands.” This action involves our outward self – the one that our family and neighbors see. But James doesn’t stop there. He then tells us to “purify our hearts.” Only God can see our innermost thoughts and motives. It’s not good enough to look and act the part, we have to have Him change us on the inside, also.

Unfortunately, most Christians only focus on the outward change and not the inward change. How can you live this truth from James 4 this week?

Let’s all pray that God will give us clean hearts and that we will help others understand that they need one, too.