Disproportionate Appearances for God

Appearances

Many of us wake up each morning, shower, brush our teeth, comb or brush our hair, dress in clothing we perceive helps us look our best, and splash on the cologne or perfume.  Then we feel presentable to the public. But, what, if anything, do we do to present ourselves to the Lord each day? There is nothing wrong with looking our best. However, a problem arises when we place a higher value on how we look to other people over how we look to God.

Idols

Idol worship is largely a matter of the heart; Greed, gluttony, a love for money or possessions, and ultimately rebellion against God can all be forms of idolatry. Anything valued in our lives higher than God is an idol to us. When the security gained from how we appear to others is greater than the security we gain from our appearances to God, we are in danger of idol worship as the Bible describes.  I believe we all in some way or another inadvertently construct idols in our lives. Boyfriend/ girlfriend relationships, cars, video games, tv shows, or anything that gets more value and attention from us than what we give to God is an idol. 

Where is Your Value Placed?

Do I place more value in what others think compared to the value I place in what God thinks?  Have you ever engaged in a conversation and placed more importance on what others thought you sounded like as apposed to what God thinks? God has been speaking to me about this lately. I feel like God wants me to be far more concerned with how He thinks I sound. Do I love others in my speech or am I condemning others? Am I graceful?  Am I humble? Am I forgiving?  Am I truthful? Am I boastful? These are things related to the things God cares about. When I consider what others think about, I might worry about how I intelligent I sound, how right I am, etc. I have a tendency to fail the Lord in some of these areas at times.  Have you ever done anything with the sole intention of impressing others with no thought of what God thinks? I’m pretty sure that anyone who asks themselves that question honestly will have to concede that they have indeed.

Many of us place an inordinate amount of concern on how we look to other people in one way or another. People that are slightly overweight will wear clothing that makes them look thinner. It's not entirely wrong to be concerned with how we look to other people. But, we must be careful not to put a prodigious amount of concern into what we weigh when considering what other people think.  Conversely, a proper concern to being overweight is that bad health might shorten the ministry the Lord intended for my life. If I am not healthy, I might die young and therefore not be able to do as much for God. I am reminded of the ministry of Charles Spurgeon. Spureon was a genius who the Lord really used to teach the word of God. He died in his 50's. He was a large man who may have lived another 20 years if he was healthier. Imagine if we had another 20 years of Spurgeon! Would dying young because I didn't take care of my body bring glory to God?

Fail-Proof Question to Ask Yourself

I have discovered a fail-proof test question to ask myself before I do, say, or think about anything. That question is this: “Is what I am doing, thinking, or saying bringing glory to God?” My motivation for everything in life must be to bring glory to God. That is the purpose of everyone’s life. If I can answer “yes” to that question, then I know I am on the right road. If I can’t answer “yes” to the question, then I need to pause and reconsider how to talk with others, what to dress like, how to perform my duties at work, what to eat, and anything else. It is all about bringing glory to God, not I.  In 1 Corinthians 10:31, it says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Why Did God Create You?

Have you ever wondered why God created us in the first place? It wasn't because He needed us! King David asked this same question.  Psalm 8:3-4 says, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" We are not God’s toy soldiers. God didn't make us pawns in some cosmic chess game.  It is important to know our purpose in life. Why are we here? Why did God make us? Knowing this puts everything into the proper perspective for us. The answer is to glorify God. God created us for His own Glory. Talking about mankind in the book of Isaiah, God says about us, "whom I created for my glory" - Isaiah 43:7.  We were also created to enjoy God forever. John 10:10 says, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." C.S. Lewis said, “In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.”

Nothing Is Hidden From God

Our every thought, care, word spoken, and deed performed should be done with concern for what God is thinking. God is always watching us. Nothing is hidden from Him. Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”  It is easy to fool people into believing we are more intelligent than we are, wealthier than we are, or about anything else. It is man’s nature to look and judge outside appearances. But God is not fooled by man. God sees our hearts and knows are hearts better than we know our own hearts.  Jeremiah tells us that only God can truly know our own hearts.  That’s a good reason as to why we should constantly be questioning our hearts (or motivations) in everything we do and say.  1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 

Closing

Since no thought, word, deed, or anything else is hidden from God, shouldn't we take pause to consider what He thinks? I think the honest answer is a resounding, “Yes!”  Are your concerns for what others think about you disproportionate to what God thinks about you?  If you struggle with this as I do, then I exhort you to begin asking yourself the question at least 20 times a day to begin with. Does this thought glorify God?  Does my performance at work glorify God? Are the things I say bringing glory to God?  Will this movie I am about to watch glorify God?  What can I do today to bring glory to God? I encourage you to be disproportionate when considering what God thinks versus what others think (in favor of our Lord).  God bless!