I was reading Matthew 23, where Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders, the Pharisees and others who were interpreting the law of Moses. He doesn’t hold back. He calls out how everything they do is for show, how they elevate themselves above others, and then He reminds them of what really matters.

“The greatest among you must be a servant.” (Matthew 23:11)

“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)

He goes on to say that while they are careful to follow the law, they are neglecting what matters most: “justice, mercy, and faith.” (Matthew 23:23)

But what really stood out to me was this:

“You are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy, full of greed and self-indulgence… First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean too.”

Matthew 23:25–26

“Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:28)

As I read this, it made me think about something very practical. I am in a season of spring cleaning right now, going room by room, getting rid of things that no longer serve us, donating what I can, throwing things away, and reorganizing what’s left.

And it hit me, how easy it is to do that in our homes, but not in our hearts.

It is easy to let things build up inside. Pride, greed, bitterness. Just like clutter in a room, those things do not just disappear. They sit there until we deal with them.

So while I am spring cleaning my home, I am also asking God to help me spring clean my heart.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart… See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24)

We live in a culture that puts so much emphasis on the outside. Looking put together. Wearing the right things. Presenting ourselves well. And while those things are not wrong, they can easily become the focus.

But God looks deeper.

“People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

And the truth is, when we look honestly at our hearts, we need Him.

“The heart is deceitful above all things.” (Jeremiah 17:9)

“All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)

We cannot clean our hearts on our own. Real cleansing only comes through Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

So this has become my prayer in this season: that I would not just focus on the outside, but that I would take time to sit before God with an open heart, willing to receive His correction and His refining.

To let Him deal with what is inside first.

Because when He cleans the inside, the outside follows.