Beauty that is more than skin-deep

Ours is a world that values image, isn’t it?  An entrepreneur creates a website that really ‘wows’ thinking that it will build his business. But, if he does not do the work of delivering the service that snazzy website promises, his business will not succeed. Who among us has not tried, somewhere and at some time, to create an image, to look better on the outside that we feel on the inside?  Business Insider magazine reported that ‘puffing’ up resumes is a common practice today – including things like embellished titles for past jobs or false academic credentials. Why? It is an attempt to look better, to attract attention. What happens? If that person lands the job, he is constantly at risk of being exposed as a fraud.

Are you trying to live the Christian life by building an image? Are you copying the words and adopting the mannerisms of some admired believer, even though you do not have their experience or their knowledge?  Don’t do it. God knows you, loves you, and wants to lead you to a life in Him that is real.   

Authentic Christianity includes the ugly as well as the beautiful! We do not have to wallow in our failures and imperfections, but if we hope to become an overcomer, we will have to deal with who we are, not just who we would like to be. John, the beloved disciple, reminds us of the power of confession. "If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if you do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely." (1 John 1:8-2:1, NLT)

Where we read ‘confess’ the original New Testament, written in Koine Greek, has a word (homologeo) that literally translated means ‘to say the same word.’  The way to God’s forgiveness and to wholeness of spirit is not image-building. God asks us to say the same thing about who we are as HE does. Got a terrible temper? Admit it; let God forgive you and grow in patience. Do you hate somebody? Don’t cover malice with ‘nice words.’  Face yourself and admit your hatred to God and let the Spirit lead you to love. Do you struggle with fear or doubt?  Tell the Lord about it, instead of trying to hide it with quotes and slogans. Let Him teach you to walk in faith.

The process of growth into godliness, authentic Christian living, is not always a pretty one. It is, however, a hopeful one because it is not a self-improvement project; it is a Spirit renewal.  Some will tell you that you should pray only upbeat prayers, that you should paste a smile on your face, always be 'up,' and say the “faith” words even if you do not believe them. What a lie. God does amazing transformations but only where we are willing to deal with issues of sin, the angst of doubts, and the flaws in us without trying to cover them up with the cosmetics of religion.  

Jesus reminds us to go beyond just 'looking good,' which is hypocrisy, to really be good. “Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give a gift to someone in need, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get." Matthew 6:1-2, NLT

Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, written to a church that loved ‘looking good’ and putting on a show of their ‘spiritual gifts,’ told them God wanted reality, a heart-deep devotion. It was hard for him to preach the Truth - which sometimes is not so attractive- to people who had been dazzled by 'super apostles' who had come through town with their magic show religion, their boastful words, and their empty promises. He reminds that church – and us- that the Treasure is not us; it is the Spirit IN us! 

“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. But this precious treasure—this light and power that now shine within us—is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:6-10, NLT

I love that passage! "Pressed... perplexed... hunted down...!"  He is so real! He says that he is authentic so that God’s power can show through him, making him more than he could possibly be naturally. Are you ready to wash off the make-up, admit the flaws are there, and let the real beauty of Jesus be created in your soul? Let’s discover the lasting beauty that comes from a genuine, ongoing intimacy with the Spirit of God that transforms our hearts.

Here is a word from the Word. "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:17-4:1, NIV)
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Abba, speak to us in the depths of our soul, of Your love.

Assure us that even as You know us as we truly are, You love us more than any other.

Free us from pride, from fear, that would tempt us to build an image.

Instead, may we live openly, desperately depending on Your power, Your love, Your Spirit in us.

In this, Jesus, may others see the reality and desire to know You, too.

As you bless us, teach us to be a blessing to others.

Let those rivers of living water spill over from us to refresh that world in which we live,

Amen.

He makes me tremble!

John (not his real name) was a fearless toddler, a foster child in our care, a long time ago. The tyke who could not, or would not recognize dangers, big or small, required constant supervision. In spite of our vigilance, he was constantly injuring himself, with falls, scrapes, and burns. He is a prime example of the way that healthy fear serves us well!  The Word tells us that "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." (Proverbs 1:7, NLT)  Life makes sense when we begin with the right perspective about who we are and Who God is;  with reverential worship, with awe, with humility.

David’s inspired words are 3,000 years old but they might have been written today. "Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all. In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good." (Psalm 36:1-3, NLT) Like little John who did not perceive the danger of the deep end of the swimming pool or the possibility of a tumble down a long stairway, if we lose our fear of the Lord, we will refuse His direction. In our headlong pursuit of a way that seems right to us, we will do great harm to ourselves and others.  The proverb is true- "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death." (Proverbs 16:25, NLT)

Are you raising an objection to the ‘fear of the Lord’ insisting that “God is a loving Father?"  He is! But our theology today is so unbalanced in the direction of His grace that we forget His is also the One to Whom each of us will give an account.  A tragedy of modern Christianity is the how much of the Scripture we ignore about the judgment of God that is reserved for those who refuse to fear and serve Him.

Have you ever watched a weak, ineffective father, one who has been convinced that his child must always be coddled and comforted, try to provide guidance to a toddler? That two year-old will slap, kick, and be generally obnoxious when he figures out that he is charge of his world. A wise parent knows that while he is his child’s protector and advocate, he is not a buddy pal. He will endure that child’s anger by giving fair, firm, and consistent guidance without the endless negotiations that are so common to this age of parenting. A good parent projects wisdom that invites their child to submit to their guidance. Early on, the wise parent teaches their little one to trust and obey, because that is the best way to avoid danger and harm.

If we Christians are taught only the grace of God, if we only learn of Jesus, as our Friend, but never understand that He is our Lord; we will never develop that awe that causes us to bow our knees before God's will. In truth, we must know that God owns us (a definition of being holy). He is to be revered, and yet so often we trivialize His demands. Moses went before the people of Israel and taught them that the ‘fear of the Lord’ was not just a phrase. It is a way of life. “These are all the commands, laws, and regulations that the Lord your God told me to teach you so you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, and so you and your children and grandchildren might fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his laws and commands, you will enjoy a long life. Listen closely, Israel, to everything I say. Be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you." (Deuteronomy 6:1-3, NLT)

He went to tell them to integrate God’s word into their lives. A real respect, a holy awe, is not just for visits to cathedrals or for Sunday mornings in church! "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:5-9, NIV)

Do you know Him in His fullness, or have you only glimpsed a part of Who He is? Is your only concept of God based on the gentle Jesus or have you also seen the fearsome Lord of the Revelation of John?  He is both! We will find a healthy fear of the Lord when we know that He is Savior and Lord.  Oh may God restore in us a deep sense of awe that causes us to tremble before Him, to love Him with our whole heart, to serve Him without excuses or reservations.

Here's a word from the Word. Have you formed your own god, a worthless god? Or, have you desired to know the Living God? "This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power. Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you." (Jeremiah 10:2-7, NIV)
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Good and Gracious King
(a song of worshipful awe from CityLights)

I approach the throne of glory

Nothing in my hands I bring

But the promise of acceptance

From a good and gracious King

I will give to You my burden

As You give to me Your strength

Come and fill me with Your Spirit

As I sing to You this praise

You deserve the greater glory

Overcome, I lift my voice

To the King in need of nothing

Empty handed I rejoice

You deserve the greater glory

Overcome with joy I sing

By Your love I am accepted

You’re a good and gracious King

O what grace that You would see me

As Your child and as Your friend

Safe, secure in You forever

I pour out my praise again

Holy, holy, Lord Almighty

Good and gracious

Good and gracious

Holy, holy, Lord Almighty

Good and gracious King

Words and music by

Jonny Robinson, James Ferguson, Michael Farren

While You Are Waiting

 

Yesterday I did some planning for some time off in Colorado in late June. I chose some places to visit and secured my flights. Between now and then, I will occasionally take a break from whatever I am doing to anticipate my enjoyment of the Rocky Mountain vistas! But, the experience will have to wait until the actual time for departure. So much of life is like that. We make plans, God gives dreams, then we wait in hope.  

Where are you living in anticipation?

Are you pressing forward or have you settled, content to drift?

All of us live in that place between anticipation and realization. We have dreams, even God-given visions, that are still beyond the horizon for which we hope.  If we desire to please God, to fulfill His call, faith is required! It bridges the gap that exists between start and finish,  between God's promises and obstacles that block fulfillment. 

Paul describes the necessary attitude of those who would ultimately own God’s reward.  He admits that there are still dreams unrealized - "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, (complete)” … so how does he live?   “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)  He borrows the image of a runner approaching the finish line of the race who pours on the last bit of his strength to lean forward for the win.

Consider some examples of those who were given a vision to possess.

Jesus invited some Galilean fishermen to "Come, follow me, and I'll make you fishers of men." He didn't say, "If you follow me, in a few years your lives will become incredibly difficult, full of sorrows, and you will die an early death as a martyr!" He let them glimpse the goal, set a vision in their hearts, and then walked with them in through the process of realizing the dream.

God spoke to Abram, “Leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you. I’ll make you a great nation and bless you. I’ll make you famous; you’ll be a blessing. I’ll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I’ll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran." (Genesis 12:1-4, The Message) What God left unsaid, for the time, was that Abram would be a pilgrim, a wanderer, for much his life; that he would live only hoping for the promised son for decades.

Are you presently living in a 'between' time of life?
Did you hear the call, receive the promise, and now you're on the journey?  “Press on!”

Often we catch God’s vision while we are enjoying a spiritual high, standing, as it were, on the mountain. Then, we must to get back to where we live, descending from the heights down into the valley where we encounter the challenges. Just plain determination will not be enough to finish well. Grit and duty cannot keep us in the race.  We must make time to be renewed in prayer, fed by the Word, encouraged by the Spirit. Isaiah reminds us that "Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:30-31, NLT)

Lean forward, press on. The One who promises is faithful.

Here is a word from the Word. Spend some time letting the truth soak into your mind, your heart. "So don’t throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It’s still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion. It won’t be long now, he’s on the way; he’ll show up most any minute. But anyone who is right with me thrives on loyal trust; if he cuts and runs, I won’t be very happy. But we’re not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We’ll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way." (Hebrews 10:35-39, The Message)

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Let us then be true and faithful-
Trusting, serving every day.
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us,
Soon His beauty we will behold.
Soon the pearly gates will open,
We will tread the streets of gold.

Eliza Edmunds Stites Hewitt

Public Domain