I noticed the renovation was complete. A local fast-food joint that had been under reconstruction for weeks was finally done. I wasn't impressed.
I had gotten a closer look (quite by accident) at the method to their over-haul as the work was underway. I took particular notice of their short-cuts. The construction of this face-lift was no more than a hollow shell. It was made to look good on the outside without changing anything on the inside. It reminded me of the Disney movie set I once visited. Impressive on the exterior. No more than propped up beams on the unseen-side.
They wanted to give the impression that the place had changed. All it really got was an external refreshing. The outer appearance - the shell - got buffed and polished and renewed, while all remained quite unchanged on the inside.
Let that not be our method, ladies. To the crowds and Disciples, of the Scribes and Pharisees, Jesus strongly rebuked otherwise. He emphatically expressed His great displeasure in seven harsh woes directed toward those that "preach and do not practice" so that their "deeds are seen by others."
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." [Mt 23:25-28]
We can easily become consumed with our outer shell. Not so with God! God expressed His character and His dealings with man up-front and early-on. Into the first few chapters of the Bible we learn that He views the inside of man. (This could be both a curse and a blessing. Merciful and shameful. A word for and against.)
The world is filled with every imaginable service to change the appearance of our every extremity. We are confronted with continual temptations, to the point of distraction and unhealthy esteem, to enhance and improve; buff and polish. It's "Shell Game for Dollars"....multi-billion dollars.
But does it drape us in a superficial cloak of pretentiousness? Or worse yet, guise an empty shell?
To those around us, possibly. But not to God. You see, we only fool ourselves -- and the mirror.
They are His eyes we want to please. And the Unseen looks upon the things not visible to the human eye.
God wants to renovate from the inside out. And now -- He will deal with our outer appearance later.
No facade. No outer guise. The real thing. Deeper than skin.
When He changes us, it is visible on the outside, too. In a different way. But noticeable by others, nonetheless!
That's the beauty!
And just what do people see:
- Our fruitful-ness (the Blessed Fruit of the Holy Spirit)
- Our hopeful-ness (our hope in God and the truth of His Word)
- Our other-ness (our love for each other)
- Our separate-ness (that we are set apart, living holy lives unto God)
- Our different-ness (as worldly non-conformists)
When God changes us on the inside, it is noticeable on the outside, too. Oh, it may not be in the endless ways we can alter everything from our toenails to our profiles, but it is far more significant! It doesn't happen all at once either. It's the slow process of sanctification. Others might not see the lasting transformation immediately but we'll sight sporatic glimpses of it here and there. This is where we trust the eyes of our Maker.
Don't buy into the delusional shell game.
Man might be in the business of revamping the looks of the outer shell. Only God can reconstruct us internally and make it truly, substantially -- eternally -- new.
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Thank you for sharing your heart.