Devotional: Outward Appearances

by Marsha Iddings

 

 1Samual 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

 

2Corinthians 10:7  Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ's, even so we are Christ's.

 

1Peter 3:3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--
 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

 

 

Having our bathroom remodeled has been quite interesting.  When we bought the place, it had this lovely wall to wall carpet in the bathroom.  We had no idea what was lurking under that lovely carpet until we decided it was time to have it torn out and replaced with vinyl tile. 

 

 

 

Oh, my, what an ugly mess we found under there!   There was the ugliest yellow linolium I've ever laid eyes on.  There were remnants of red shag carpet and by the bath tub there was dry rot.  The floor guy had to chisel all that old rotting stuff away.  When the toilet was lifted, the metal flange around the pipe fell apart. 

 

 

 

That wasn't the extent of the surprises we found.  It was also discovered that the exhaust fan, although it ran and made you think it was moving air, wasn't moving anything at all.  It was never vented out over the insulation but was completely buried and coundn't do anything but make noise!  And the drain pipe under the sink fell apart when our builder took hold of it.

 

 

 

When we bought the place, it looked so nice.  We had no idea of the ugly suprises that were hidden under the surface.  The verses above indicate that we as people often have the same problem.  We can look so good on the outside.  We might go to church every Sunday, give 10% tithe, maybe do some religious ceremonies, talk like a Christian and do all the outward things a Christian is supposed to do and yet have ugliness lurking in our hearts.  Jeremiah hits the nail on the head when he says,

 

 

  "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Jer 17:9

Isaiah also paints a realistic picture:

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6

 

 

Only Jesus can make our hearts clean and pure.  Only Jesus can make us worthy and fit for heaven and God's presence. 

 

 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.   1John 1:9
(NKJV)

 

 

How about you?   Looking good on the outside, but hiding filthy rags underneath?  Let Jesus help you clean it up!

 

 

 

 

Sufficient Grace for Suffering Saints
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