Look Inside the Golden Cup!

Things are not always as they seem. A house that is freshly painted might look great on the outside, but might be rotting away and infested once you get behind the paint. The same holds true with people. They may look great, be successful by earthly standards, and have all kinds of money and fame. But on the inside, these people are jacked-up, cracked-up, and messed-up to the core. They use others, will cut and stab you in the back if it means profit and benefit for them. They may look good on the outside, but inside they are miserable, lonely, and confused, covering up their emptiness with material things.

Image courtesy of: Kabelitz Porzellan

Scripture:
“The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.” – Revelation 17:4

Observation/Application:
The book of Revelation tells us that the end is coming for those who do not acknowledge God our Creator, and who deny, ridicule, or are far from Him. When the prostitute of the beast is described, she is described in a way that reflects her superficial and materialistic nature. The second part of the description tells us that on the inside she is holding the cup filled with “abominable things and filth”. She is filthy on the inside, and has a cup to pour out for others to drink and destroy. On the outside is a golden cup, but on the inside it is full of selfishness and pride.

James 4:4 gives us some more insight into what this woman in revelation looks like to God. “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God?” In short, either you align yourself with God, or you align yourself with the world. There is no in-between. And the woman of Revelation tries to deceive us by mixing God with the worldly desires, and try to trick us into having the best of both worlds.

So what are we to do? The easy answer is to test everything to see if it is of God, or a trick of the enemy. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” – (1 John 4:1). Test everything against God’s Word. And learn to recognize people by their fruit. “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” – (Matthew 7:16-20)

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word today. Thank you for revealing to us exactly what you need us to hear today. Thank you for using us for your divine purpose. Help us to be obedient to your Will. Fill us with your goodness, and wash us clean from the inside out. Help us to inspect fruit, and to test everything against God’s Word and not be deceived by the enemy. Keep us from temptation, and deliver us from evil. We give you all the honor, and glory, and praise, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Photo By Elsie esq.

Photo By Kabelitz Porzellan

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