A children's wading pool in an East Coast inner-city neighborhood had been closed for 2 years. City workers finally painted the pool, filled it with water, and opened it to the delight of excited children.

A short time later, though, neighborhood parents were furious. Eighteen children had cuts on their feet! It seems the pool hadn't been cleaned out before it was painted. The workmen had merely spray-painted over glass debris on the pool bottom.

The harm done by these city workers is like the damage done by the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They made cover-up into an art. They dressed for success. They knew how to make good impressions. And the more they learned about the heart of Christ, the more they hated Him and His followers.

We are like Pharisees when we look out only for our own interests and become preoccupied with how others perceive us. We can become full of ourselves, full of empty promises, full of selfish motives that are as sharp as broken glass.

The Christlikeness that God wants to form in us is so different. Jesus said, "He who humbles himself will be exalted" (Mt. 23:12). Our own efforts to make ourselves look good are nothing more than a bad "paint job."  — Mart De Haan