The cups of the Priesthood were cover with a netting to keep gnats from getting into their drinking liquid, whether it be wine or water it matters not, but yet they swallow a camel, meaning you do one thing only to ignore larger issues. In others words no consistency when it comes to things that really matter to God. Camel representing a large issue then what a gnat causes. The gnats would leave larva in the drink if not covered by a net. Unhealthy to do so. Many things unhealthy to the human spiritual and physical well being. Sometimes things of bigger portion is ignore compared to little things. For example one cleans the objects you eat from like plates and cups only to fill with items that are not necessarily healthy in abundance or excessiveness. It be like sitting with a platter full of sweets, in excessiveness. It would be unhealthy if eaten everyday, once in a while it only hurts if one is a diabetic. Yet unhealthy foods like foods rich in fat filling the plate causes problems outwardly, with no regards to the person becoming fat. Now some of us larger people would say you can eat low fat food in general and still gain weight. It is not always the abundance of food that makes one large. However whether fat or thin, are you eating healthy or is the cleaniness of the plates and cups the only good thing about the whole display. Eating healthy is a choice, it has nothing to do with the size of a person. Yet in the many cases weight displays poor diet and healthy diet, but it is not always so. Yet put the meal on a plate and say is this healthy?

No matter who we are we make choices about others outward shell or the outward presentation but the inward part of the shell that carries the guts and intertrappings of the body tell the tail of health and well being. That plate with fat on it is more unhealthy then plate of broiled food. Let us be truthful many people love fried chicken, never consider the fat it takes to fry it with. The weighty matters not resolved with a simple exchange of what on the plate, only what can be seen on the plate. Chicken toxic fat unseen because it fried and not baked.Take the skin off and fry chicken the fat from the oil or grease is still absorbed into the meat. Place the chicken in the oven after removing the skin and it consider healthy, but is the skin on chicken unhealthy, some say yes other says no. Skin protects the chicken meat from burning or becoming dry while cooking to some degree. After all the juice otherwise leak right out of that chicken making it dry and tasteless. Now any vegetarian will be saying all of it is disgusting, unless you put a nice salad on the plate. Add regular dressing it unhealthy and now we need to use lite dressing, or oh better yet nice home made vinegrette. Yet that salad with out some type of protein from plants, such as beans and broccoli may still be unhealthy. Rice and cream of wheat have iron in it. One can eat vegetables only and fail to have healthy diet of food, making the salad presentation just as bad as a plate of only fried food.

Now if we go on with the passage Jesus is talking about the woes of Pharisees continue with the problems with the outward appearance of the tomb but inward the tomb is dirty and unclean. Pharisees had to avoid the tombs during their purification or had to repurify themselves with more then just taking of a ritual bath to be clean. Yet the uncleaniness was not the outside but the inside. It is like many churches look nice on the outside but are they clean on the inside? A church may appear health, it has clean people that sing all the right songs, and even have their Bible time in perfect harmony, but the fellowship is not so sweet, it lacks and no one talks to each other beyond social pleasantries required. That is unhealthy part of the church. If we lack in that sweet fellowship we lack the action of what we hear and take to heart. We are cleansed but only outwardly in our attendance but not into the interward soul of our bellys to love one another.

Jesus continues on talking about not the tomb but about the prophets of vipers, or children of those that were slained for their trickery and deception when it came to being prophets of Satan in sheep clothings as innocent lambs, yet inwardly they were still vipers, wolves or devils. The pharisees were desiring peace and not war, but understood not what peace was. Sometimes to have peace one must sacrifice something in return. Iran wants sanctions lifted and to have peace talks. It makes since why should people suffer when governments talk peace. Especially were a government controls the people and they have no real freedom. Yet without the people the leader of Iran has no slaves to his wealth because they are to weak to help him. No he has friends outside of Iran that still exports what he wants at higher prices to high for his people to buy in abundance. We talk love but love is a two way street when it comes to vipers. If a snake wraps around your arm because your warm, it does not mean he will not bite you. You still have to hold his head, to keep from being bitten. The wrapping around your arm is only because he feels the warmth but can not absorb it himself.

Jesus talked straight about the hypocrisy in the priesthood. He knew many were going to hell, because they thought outward appearance and formality was all that was needed. Yet hypocrisy was with their very soul and their own luxury was more valuable to them then sharing of their faith. How far you have to walk to prove your healing, how much love do you have to give to show you care. There many things I have no energy for, but there is still ways I can help people, I may not be hands on like I could years ago, but I still can care. When people take everything away from you, then you can still pray because they can not take your faith away from you. I always encourage the elderly when they no longer can do for someone else and have to sit at home, that they were still of value because they could still pray.

Do we fail at giving and caring for others? Do we sometimes ourselves become like the Pharisees or the plate of food looks wonderful but all the hidden fat is a heart attack waiting to happen? No one knows what another is thinking, but Jesus knew the heart of the Pharisees, because he is the only begotten Son of God, who could see the inward heart of man has his Father could. He being equal to his Father knows all things too. Yet it was not only the pharisees that were hypocrits. There were people in the crowd needing salvation too. The message was not just about Pharisees but to the gentiles and jews, who perhaps complained about the Pharisees and their lordship in their life not fully understanding about faith and the value of belief in God and His promise Messiah. There eyes were blind to the truth.

Without faith what do we have? Let go further let begin at the first one to prophesy about God as far as offering the right sacrifices his name was Abel. The last one was named Zacharias. Abel killed because Cain was jealous because he did not pleased God, so instead of repenting he killed. There are those in this world that would rather kill a godly man or woman then to repent and seek God blessing in their life. We have choice to be a persecuter of the believer, be a do nothing, or be a persecuter. Persecution does not always lead to death, it can come in forms of abuse. Sometimes what you experience is because of the enemy called Satan and his demons. Someting you experience is God's correction and mercy in your life. God correct Cain before and after Able death, and showed Cain mercy to live out his days upon the earth. Abel lost his life on earth, but went home to be with God. Each prophet died before Christ some at the hands of devils and others died in peace. Some to honor of the priesthood and others to dishonor.

Today we live in what many say are end times. There signs in the sky as well in our streets and yet some refuse to believe Christ could come anyday. God can uprooted our very life. Change our situation for good or bad depending on what He is trying to teach us about himself. We look for prophesy but as Jesus had said many times there will always be rumors of wars and actual wars, and there will always be earthquakes and they will increase. Yet despite all these things the end is not yet, or is it upon us because we know not the hour of Christ return or necessarily our own demise. The only thing is we can prepare for our inward heart ot believe in Jesus or to deny him and face an eternity called the eternal lake of fire that will swallow the first place you enter called hell. See your body will be resurrected in the end time to face final judgment, and if you spent time in hell already are you going to want to go back, probably not, but you will be facing the eternal lake of fire that burns for eternity if you made your choice on this side of heaven or hell and you chose not to believe God, HIs Son and Holy Spirit. It is your choice to believe. With belief in God, if you know not if something is of Him you can ask of him. He will guide you in all truth. You can put on the appearance of faith without faith. Those people are nothing but wolves, hoping only to deceive. Decide are you a Pharisee or a person desiring to live inwardly and outwardly like Jesus? Will you receive Christ today as your Lord and Savior?

Dear heavenly Father, help us to chose to live for you, because you died for us. Help us to live not as pharisees but as people will to be in service for your kingdom by being a living testimony of faith inwardly and outwardly. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study for Devotion:

Proverbs 20:27 KJV The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

Romans 7:21-25 KJV
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.