2 Corinthians 10:7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s.
Oh Friends, what the ole fella wouldn’t give for some salt water and sunshine right now eh? Steups! And note, we talking about hot seas and hot sunshine. (smile) Sometimes this cold weather just gets in the bones and sets them to aching, and the best therapeutic remedy for that is good old-fashioned hot sun and warm seawater. The important element here is the heat, God’s natural warmth. Ah Lord eh! But I guess that’s what dreams are for? However, despite the discomfort, I’ll still give the Good Lord thanks and praise for allowing me to see another day, cause once I’m alive and living obedient to His will, anything is possible. And today we’ll continue looking at Bruh Paul’s important question: ‘Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?’ Though Jesus said we shouldn’t, all of us do to some extent because we’re only human and live in a world where it’s very prevalent. But it’s something all believers should be very wary and careful off, cause it can lead us to make wrong judgements and poor choices. The important thing is to be aware of it when we do it, and stop ourselves before we cause hurt or damage, since many of these biased ideas come naturally to us from whatever culture we follow. We spoke yesterday about it on the broader level, where the different religions and denominations are concerned. Now I want to look at it on a more personal and individual basis. And we’re interested in things like how we dress to go to church, how we behave in church, and who sits where? Most of it is based on man made rules and customs; some stringent ones from olden times, going up against the more liberal ones currently in vogue. Now when I was growing up, it was unthinkable, almost sacrilegious for a female to go to church without a hat. No true churchwoman would even consider darkening the church doors with her head uncovered. Today though, in many churches, hats are few and far between, sometimes even non-existent, and there is still some ill will on both sides of the custom. But who’s to say what’s wrong or right in that argument eh? The same goes for clothes. In my time you couldn’t wear jeans or come looking scruffy. Everybody was dressed in their Sunday best, with a spit shine from head to toe. (smile) But nowadays there’s a different ethic. Some say it’s okay to come any old how, because it’s not your clothes you’re going to show off but your heart, and that’s true. However, if Jesus only deals in excellence, then shouldn’t we uphold certain standards too, if we want to be like Him? If we truly want to reverence God, there must be some standards of dress and deportment when we enter His house. The collar and tie stuff might be a bit much, but likewise the scruffy, untidy, even dirty look is disrespectful to God and demeaning to us. There must be a suitable meeting point some where in the middle. The standards don’t have to be onerous and rigid, but they must reflect our overall reverence and respect for the Lord. Now that doesn’t pertain to those who only have raggedy clothes and no facilities to make themselves look prim and proper. Under those circumstances God will still gladly welcome you, though your fellow man might give you a cross, snotty look, and some even refuse you entry. But there again Friends, it’s the man made rules and customs that are causing the problems, not God’s dictates. He says come and worship, and expects a decent appearance, but men lay down some laws that many fellow Christians are not able to follow which turns them off of the faith. And then we wonder why the churches are only half full? But a lot of it is because of our hypocritical posturing. Another toxic point is who should sit where in the church? In my youth, the white, wealthy and socially important normally sat at the front. In some churches pews were even reserved for special people. Many church- goers consider this wrong, while other feel it’s right, especially if the seats are reserved for those who donate fair sums to the church. So once again, who’s right, and who’s wrong? I don’t know if there’s an equitable way to do that, but you definitely don’t want habitual latecomers going up to the front to their accustomed seats, stepping over people and disturbing the service. And I’ve seen that happen a lot in my day. The whole point of the discourse though Friends is to point out some of the petty, trivial and unnecessary actions that happen in our churches and subsequently defeats its purpose, for those things don’t further God’s kingdom, but rather drags it down, making a mockery of the faith. And though we put on nice smiles and good manners, mih people, please remember that’s what’s truly in our hearts always surfaces, and unfortunately usually in unguarded moments and makes us look real foolish and hypocritical. All I’m saying Friends is to put away the piddling nonsense that we all know goes on in the church, and instead focus, as we ought, on Jesus and the godly work we’re supposed to do in His name. My people, if we did that, hn! You wouldn’t believe how much better the church would operate. And we’ll end with a bit of scripture taken from Joel, that in my youth was often wrongly quoted and interpreted, but admirably serves our purpose today. It says: ‘And rend your heart and not your garments…’ (Joel 2:13) We were made to understand, or it was usually quoted as ‘render your heart, not rend’ and used as a biblical truism that the state of your heart was always more important than your outward apparel. I don’t know if it was done on purpose or by mistake, but it’s the gospel truth Friends. Consequently, let us never forget that what’s on the inside is always more important than what’s outside, and don’t go judging others by only what our eyes behold, cause it can cause us to make serious errors of judgement and is also not a part of the Christian ethos. More tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…. know ye that…the eyes are a very poor judge of the heart…
Oh Friends, what the ole fella wouldn’t give for some salt water and sunshine right now eh? Steups! And note, we talking about hot seas and hot sunshine. (smile) Sometimes this cold weather just gets in the bones and sets them to aching, and the best therapeutic remedy for that is good old-fashioned hot sun and warm seawater. The important element here is the heat, God’s natural warmth. Ah Lord eh! But I guess that’s what dreams are for? However, despite the discomfort, I’ll still give the Good Lord thanks and praise for allowing me to see another day, cause once I’m alive and living obedient to His will, anything is possible. And today we’ll continue looking at Bruh Paul’s important question: ‘Do ye look on things after the outward appearance?’ Though Jesus said we shouldn’t, all of us do to some extent because we’re only human and live in a world where it’s very prevalent. But it’s something all believers should be very wary and careful off, cause it can lead us to make wrong judgements and poor choices. The important thing is to be aware of it when we do it, and stop ourselves before we cause hurt or damage, since many of these biased ideas come naturally to us from whatever culture we follow. We spoke yesterday about it on the broader level, where the different religions and denominations are concerned. Now I want to look at it on a more personal and individual basis. And we’re interested in things like how we dress to go to church, how we behave in church, and who sits where? Most of it is based on man made rules and customs; some stringent ones from olden times, going up against the more liberal ones currently in vogue. Now when I was growing up, it was unthinkable, almost sacrilegious for a female to go to church without a hat. No true churchwoman would even consider darkening the church doors with her head uncovered. Today though, in many churches, hats are few and far between, sometimes even non-existent, and there is still some ill will on both sides of the custom. But who’s to say what’s wrong or right in that argument eh? The same goes for clothes. In my time you couldn’t wear jeans or come looking scruffy. Everybody was dressed in their Sunday best, with a spit shine from head to toe. (smile) But nowadays there’s a different ethic. Some say it’s okay to come any old how, because it’s not your clothes you’re going to show off but your heart, and that’s true. However, if Jesus only deals in excellence, then shouldn’t we uphold certain standards too, if we want to be like Him? If we truly want to reverence God, there must be some standards of dress and deportment when we enter His house. The collar and tie stuff might be a bit much, but likewise the scruffy, untidy, even dirty look is disrespectful to God and demeaning to us. There must be a suitable meeting point some where in the middle. The standards don’t have to be onerous and rigid, but they must reflect our overall reverence and respect for the Lord. Now that doesn’t pertain to those who only have raggedy clothes and no facilities to make themselves look prim and proper. Under those circumstances God will still gladly welcome you, though your fellow man might give you a cross, snotty look, and some even refuse you entry. But there again Friends, it’s the man made rules and customs that are causing the problems, not God’s dictates. He says come and worship, and expects a decent appearance, but men lay down some laws that many fellow Christians are not able to follow which turns them off of the faith. And then we wonder why the churches are only half full? But a lot of it is because of our hypocritical posturing. Another toxic point is who should sit where in the church? In my youth, the white, wealthy and socially important normally sat at the front. In some churches pews were even reserved for special people. Many church- goers consider this wrong, while other feel it’s right, especially if the seats are reserved for those who donate fair sums to the church. So once again, who’s right, and who’s wrong? I don’t know if there’s an equitable way to do that, but you definitely don’t want habitual latecomers going up to the front to their accustomed seats, stepping over people and disturbing the service. And I’ve seen that happen a lot in my day. The whole point of the discourse though Friends is to point out some of the petty, trivial and unnecessary actions that happen in our churches and subsequently defeats its purpose, for those things don’t further God’s kingdom, but rather drags it down, making a mockery of the faith. And though we put on nice smiles and good manners, mih people, please remember that’s what’s truly in our hearts always surfaces, and unfortunately usually in unguarded moments and makes us look real foolish and hypocritical. All I’m saying Friends is to put away the piddling nonsense that we all know goes on in the church, and instead focus, as we ought, on Jesus and the godly work we’re supposed to do in His name. My people, if we did that, hn! You wouldn’t believe how much better the church would operate. And we’ll end with a bit of scripture taken from Joel, that in my youth was often wrongly quoted and interpreted, but admirably serves our purpose today. It says: ‘And rend your heart and not your garments…’ (Joel 2:13) We were made to understand, or it was usually quoted as ‘render your heart, not rend’ and used as a biblical truism that the state of your heart was always more important than your outward apparel. I don’t know if it was done on purpose or by mistake, but it’s the gospel truth Friends. Consequently, let us never forget that what’s on the inside is always more important than what’s outside, and don’t go judging others by only what our eyes behold, cause it can cause us to make serious errors of judgement and is also not a part of the Christian ethos. More tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…. know ye that…the eyes are a very poor judge of the heart…
SCRIP-BITS 