Painted Outside, Hardened Inside
By Pastor Jerry A. Burns
Someone once said that some people are like Easter eggs—beautifully decorated on the outside but hard-boiled on the inside. The shell is colorful and impressive, but beneath the surface there is something rigid and unyielding. It’s a humorous illustration, yet it reveals a serious spiritual truth about human nature.
Jesus confronted this same problem during His earthly ministry. The religious leaders of His day looked impressive on the outside. They dressed the part, spoke the right words, and performed the right rituals. Yet inside their hearts were far from God. Their faith had become a performance instead of a relationship. Outward appearance can easily deceive people, but it never deceives God. He looks beyond the shell and sees the heart.
The Christian life is not about polishing the outside while ignoring the inside. God desires genuine transformation. When Christ changes a life, the work begins in the heart and flows outward into actions, words, and attitudes. True Christianity is not decoration—it is regeneration. The Lord is not interested in painted shells; He wants softened, surrendered hearts.
Spend time praying through Psalm 139:23–24, asking God to reveal anything in your heart that needs His transforming work.
Ask God to examine your heart today and make your faith genuine, not merely outward. Seek a life that is transformed from the inside out.
"For I know that my redeemer liveth, And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" — Job 19:25
Daily Scripture Reading
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This Week's Radio Program
Week Eighteen • May 3, 2026
Trusting God With Tomorrow (Pt. 3)
In this final part of the message, “Trusting God with Tomorrow,” we are brought face to face with a powerful truth from Scripture—while we often plan our days and assume the future, the Bible teaches us that life is fragile, uncertain, and completely in God’s hands. As James reminds us, our life is “even a vapour” that appears for a little time and then vanishes away . The issue is not planning, but planning without God—living as though we are in control of what only God knows.
This message walks through the heart of biblical trust: having a proper perspective of tomorrow, a humble posture before God today, and a surrendered plan that says, “If the Lord will.” Whether facing uncertainty, fear, or the illusion of control, we are called to draw near to God, rest in His care, and trust that His will is good, even when tomorrow is unknown. Because Christ has risen, our future is secure—not in our plans, but in His perfect hands.
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