Our Scripture reading today is Luke 11:37-39.
Verse 39, "And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness."
The Pharisees were known for having an outward "look" of righteousness, but inwardly they were as far from righteousness as someone could get. There was a portrayal of something that was not a reality. You could say they were very hypocritical in the way lived their lives. For some reason, the Pharisees missed the part about their heart being deceitful about all things and desperately wicked. If they had spent as much time on their heart as they did on washing their hands, they would have been a much better representation for God.
It would behoove us to examine our hearts a little more as we seek to be more like the Lord Jesus. It is easy to fool people by our outward conformity to rules, but God cannot be fooled. He knows our hearts. The motivation for conformity must be a love for God and His Word. Too many times we are motivated by what others will say or think. Too many times we are living a hypocritical life. By God's grace, we ought to live our lives from the inside out. Allowing God's love and power to work in and through us.