I am very acquainted with house paint! I've done a lot of work to my house as well as working on the house that John Saffold lives in now. Painting isn't my favorite thing, but its definitely a nice finishing touch.

Here's the thing about a nice painted wall, you never know what's going on behind the paint. I recently had to have my house tested for lead. Despite the fact that the interior paint is new, if there's lead paint underneath it can still be hazardous. Also a nicely painted wall may be covering really poor construction or termite damage. While good looking paint is wonderful, its one of the least important elements of a solid home.

I think this is also true of our external appearances. Its easy as Christians to be very focused on appearing to be "on track with God" or virtually sinless. Don't get me wrong, right behavior is the best. Right behavior though, should be the external finishing touch that is produced by a heart that is healed and at peace with God. If the external appearance of Godliness is all we have, we will disappoint ourselves and others when the truth about our heart comes to light.

Remember when Jesus called the religious leaders of his day whitewashed tombs? He said they looked good on the outside, but they were full of death on the inside (Matthew 23:27). I have seen houses that looked OK until you stripped away the paint and wall coverings. Inside I found damage and issues. We need to remember that while people look at the outer appearances, God looks at our hearts (1 Samuel 16:6-7). God's desire is to make us more like Him, starting on the inside. He'll get around to the outer finishing touches, but let Him work on your heart first. Hope that made sense!