People have swallowed the weirdest things.

We all expect young children to put small objects in their mouths (and we try to stop them, of course), but then there are the adults.

One man in Croatia was found to have a lighter in his stomach. He had intentionally swallowed it whilst at a police station because it contained a small quantity of drugs and, therefore, incriminating evidence against him.

Another, a 29-year-old in Ireland, swallowed a small cell phone and then there was the story of the 18-year-old who was trying to induce vomiting with a toothbrush and, well, you can guess the rest!

Some things are not meant to be inside us.

Have you ever wondered why are there so many accounts in the gospels about the Pharisees and about their rules and Jesus’ confrontations with them? So serious were those conversations that Jesus felt the need to say to his disciples, ‘Be on your guard against the yeast (the teaching) of the Pharisees and Sadducees’ (Matt 16: 6). We know that ‘All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness’ (2 Tim 3:16), so why do we read so many stories about these guys? Surely, Pharisees don’t exist today!

I was talking with a friend a while back. I had gently challenged him about a particular attitude he was displaying when he asked, ‘Do you think I am a Pharisee?’ Taken aback, I said ‘no, but I think there may be a hidden Pharisee in all of us.’ That may seem a bit of a stretch, but for me if I am honest, I know there is one in me. I try to hide him, but he is definitely in there. What is he up to? Well, like a virus, he is silently trying to spread his influence. So, in what ways does he try to influence?

Let’s try something different. Let me invite you to participate in the ‘Do I have the Pharisee virus?’ test. Are you ready?

1. How hard do you work to look good on the outside? I am not talking about a new haircut to make you even more beautiful; I am talking about your secret desire that everyone you meet will believe that you are a good person? In other words, do you seek the praise of others more than the praise of God?

2. How easy is it for you to apologise? Or are you just never in the wrong? Do you recognise moments when you fall short of God’s best or you or do find it hard to admit a fault?

3. When you meet someone who lives, let’s say, a ‘colourful life’ – do you compare yourself to them? Do you think you are better? When was the last time you prayed, ‘have mercy on me, Lord, a sinner’?

So, how did you get on? Did you think you tested positive or negative for the Pharisee virus?

It is so easy to read the Gospels and pass judgement on the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, but perhaps it takes some humility and courage to recognise that, sometimes, there may be a little Pharisee inside us too. Let’s make an agreement together: our hearts belong to God; the Pharisee has no place there!

This devotion is one of many you can find in Bite-size Devotions for the Busy Christian by me – Terry Nightingale, published by Kharis Publishing and available through any Amazon website. Maybe this would make a good Christmas present for someone.