Maybe Image Isn’t Everything!
Jul 10Thu,2008 / Category: Personal /
Recently I’ve completed reading a very powerful book by Os Guinness, entitled “A Time For Truth”. Among other things, the book chronicles America’s moral decent from prioritizing character as being the critical virtue of its leaders to adopting the mantra “Image Is Everything”. It seems like for most people, Christians included, the goal is no longer to maintain our inner goodness as long as we look good on the outside. All that matters is what people think about you and how you are viewed by the public, not who you really are in the quietness of your own conscience. It’s almost as if we are all actors on a stage putting on a performance for the watching world who thinks that our lives are the sum total of what they can see played out before them. But the fact is that God seems to be far more concerned with who we are when the curtain drops and no one is looking, than when it is time for lights cameras and action.
In 1 Samuel 16 the Lord challenges the Prophet Samuel to look for a King to replace Saul, whom He had rejected. Like most of us Samuel no doubt was looking for a man of stature who exuded strength, skill and leadership, however God’s evaluation of our greatness is measured by a much different standard. In one of the most memorable quotes from the Old Testament God says to Samuel in verse 7 “…Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” This highlights the stark contrast between God and man on how we measure such things as righteousness and unrighteousness, failure and success. In our generation, however, the greatest sin is not being bad, but rather it is looking bad. So with the help of make-up, spin, lies and deception leaders and non-leaders alike can mask the true condition of their hearts and lack of moral character like never before.
This is unfortunately, being played out all around us as seen in local politics, day to day church life and the number of broken families in our community. As a Pastor, husband, father but most of all as a Christian I fear that danger of falling into the shallowness of believing that image is more important than internal character. I realize that my wife, daughter, church and community need for me to demonstrate real moral character and not just a fake external image. I have worked hard to avoid this pitfall and have searched for safeguards for protecting my heart against Satan’s subtle deceptions. I would humbly request your prayers in this area and would love to hear your comments and recommendations on how we as Christians can avoid prioritizing outer image above inner holiness and how we can make sure we are keeping character first.
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts,
Pastor Chris
3 Comments :Snatcher Pastor, thank you for expressing this most profound truth in such a matter-of-fact way. Unfortunately, christians are being illusioned in this area as well to think that God is impressed with our outer appearances even though He admonishes us over and over that the Spirit searches the very “motives and intentions” of our hearts (even in ministries). So many of us need to cry out for an “Extreme Makeover” on the INSIDE. When that premise touched the television set in America, it created a tidal wave and plastic surgeons along with the rest of the “cover up crew” never made so much money before. It was the great deciever who sold this bill of goods because it was exactly the “opposite” of what God wants from us. And that is to recognize that we are sinners by our very nature and to seek Him for REPENTANCE and cleansing! Our hearts are deceitful and desparately wicked. Many in the church and in the world don’t realize it , nor are they willing to admit it too much anymore. Nevertheless, the devil is still defeated — simply because the Bible is true, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Those with discernment, need not to worry, a slight conversation will identify who they serve. I just thank God for Jesus. He gave up the Ghost for those who really love and trust and serve Him to live free from the bondages of who we really are! Pray, His coming is soon! Sylvia Smith I read your commentary on Image isn’t everything and it caused me to stop and thing about the series that Pastor Renee has been teaching on Becoming a Woman of Peace. In our Bible study we have been loking at how to become a woman peace and the topic that has been the most challenging is submission. We talked about why we must submit to our authorites and we looked at the hierachy of authoirties in our lives. It seems that most of us were stuck in the image of what submission looks like.as though our outer image is somehow connected to our inner image and if we submit to our authorities our weaknesses will show up on the outside. I ‘ve had to learn the hard way that my outer perception of myself was keeping me form a true relationship with God . Man looks at the outside but God looks at our heart. For so long I thought that because I looked ok on the outside that i was ok on the inside. I eventually found out that I was looking pretty good on the outside but dying on the inside. I thank God for revealing to me that what was going on inside me was affecting every aspect of my life and that the make-up was only a mask covering up my ability to become a woman of peace. Leave A Comment |
Min. Berwyn Ellis
July 15th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Pastor this is such a true statement which has never been stated so correct. To me its such a sad case that we have more christains falling in the same ritual. I believe those that are not christains believe that God knows there heart so there not concern with the inner being, being reflected on the outside. Would you say many christain have falling into this inside outside ordeal. Meaning sense God knows my heart i can do what i want with the outward appreance.
If we continue to look on outside its gona get tuff to see what a real christain is suppose to be like. Are we getting pull in by the world, where is the church during this tug-of-war.