My dad always told me that beauty was in the eye of the beholder, which included colors and color schemes. It would be quite boring if everyone had the same taste in car colors, clothing, and hairstyles, to name a few.
I’ve heard that everyone has someone, even if they are not as
attractive as the next man, woman, boy or girl.
I have seen beautiful women become very ugly when I got to know them,
because they were ugly on the inside. They
were full of themselves in many distasteful ways.
That which is inside a person matters the most. Likewise, I have seen not so attractive
people become beautiful the more I got to know them. Their beauty shined forth through actions,
caring and compassion for others, because of the person inside of their outward
features.
I’m glad that God looks on the inside and sees my heart of
how much I want to serve Him, rather than looking at my imperfections on the
outside and casting me aside. God thinks
I’m beautiful, because He sees me through the blood of His Son, Jesus that He
shed on a cross for my redemption and the redemption of humanity; to save us
from sin.
How many times do we view people with a critical eye and attitude,
while focusing on their imperfections rather than giving them a chance to show
who they really are inside? More times than not, we are too quick to
judge. The Bible says that we are not to
judge another person lest we ourselves be judged.
(Matthew 7:1-2), “Judge not, that you be not judged.”
(vs 2) “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the
measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
First impressions that I call perceptions are not always as
they seem. I have heard that you never
really know a person until you walk a mile in their shoes or live with
them. I don’t think we have to go to these
extremes when we give people a chance to reveal who they really are. We must Stop, Look, and Listen.
We can then see clearly if we should associate with them or
not. No doubt, first impressions of Jesus,
by some, were negative. I believe they
were looking for a warrior, strong and aggressive, as their messiah, whereas
Jesus was meek, mild mannered, and calm spirited. People were looking on the outside and failed
to see God on the inside.
The ‘beauty’ of Jesus’ attributes was and are love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—the
Fruit of the Spirit, (Galatians 5:22-23).
‘Ugliness’ is the works of the flesh, which are adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy,
murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like.
The Bible says that those who practice such things will not inherit the
kingdom of God, (Galatians 5:19-21).
Jesus is the ‘Beauty of Salvation’ that sets people free from
the ‘Ugliness of Sin’ when we ask God to forgive us of our sins. He will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
A man in the Bible came running up to Jesus and asked, “Good
Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Why do
you call Me good? No one is good but
One, that is, God.” (Mark 10:18)
I believe the man was looking on the outside and perceived
Jesus as just a man, instead of recognizing Him as Deity—God in flesh.
The Bible says that Christians have the right to try
the spirits. Believers need not take people at
face value when they proclaim to be speaking on behalf of God, or bearing
spiritual gifts, until they have proven themselves as God’s ambassadors.
(1 John 4:1), “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
I believe my spirit will bear witness to the truth of their legitimacy. You may ask, “What is the general
picture that this writing is saying to me?”
I’m glad you asked. God’s Word is
saying that we should be wise as serpents and harmless as doves when dealing
with people around us.
We are not to be hottie in spirit, but long-suffering and
listen to conversations. I’ve been told that
a person learns more by listening than talking all the time. It is sensible to know who we are associating
with as to whether they are portraying ‘beauty’ on the outside yet are dead
man’s bones on the inside.
Yes, God uses people to assist and point us in right directions
when needed, but our spirit will bear witness to that person’s council if, in
fact, they are representatives of God, if I remain on God’s frequency regarding
communication. The Bible says that we
must worship God in spirit and in truth, not just lip service. We need to hear His voice.
(John 4:24), “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth.”
Written by,
Papa Boyd
No comments:
Post a Comment