SPIRITUAL BOTOX
DAY 35: When historians look back on our generation, I think they will label us the "Preservative Generation." Everything about who we are is about making things last longer than they should, or at least giving the appearance of making things last. Our foods are filled with all kinds of things I can't even pronounce that allow them to have a longer shelf life than seems humanly possible. From canned goods to eternal Twinkies, our food, at least from a longevity perspective, can go the distance.
The same can be said for the billion dollar health and beauty industry. Perhaps at no time in human history has a man or woman looked so good for so long. You can bet that Methuselah would have benefited from Botox and P90X. Our cremes and injections and regimes and facial camouflage have surely made us the envy of all previous generations.
But as they say, some things are only skin deep. While we may eat food that looks good longer, the reality is that some of the ingredients that keep it looking fresh may also be linked to diseases that are killing us from the inside out. And while on the surface, those magic elixirs make us look 10 years younger, nothing can stop the advance of time also working on the inside. All in all, looks can be deceiving. More than that, they can also be destructive. That is what I heard Jesus warn as I spent time reading His words today.
Talking directly to religious people who were more concerned with appearance instead of substance, Jesus bluntly exposed the things that were only skin deep.
Matthew 23 13 “. . . you hypocrites! . . . You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20
23 “. . . you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.. . You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. . .
27 “. . . you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.. . . "
In today's vernacular, Jesus might have said, "Getting a facelift and a tummy tuck won't cure sclerosis of the liver or hardening of the arteries. You are still rotting on the inside no matter how great the outside looks. Spiritually, your works may look good on the outside but your hearts are rotting away."
When we pay attention only to the outward rituals which can be seen by man but neglect that change of heart that can only be seen by God we are what Jesus said: Hypocrites!
Today God asked me to search my own heart and see if there was any place that I was trying to preserve my outward appearance of righteousness without His work of renewing my heart, too. Such a life is nothing but spiritual Botox that is only skin deep. Since I don't want to be "that Christian" who "looks good outside but inside is full of the bones of the dead" I think I will pause and be sure that my actions are more than just skin deep.
What about you?
Day 35 of 365
Exodus 19:16-25
Exodus 20
Exodus 21:1-21
Matthew 23:13-39
Psalm 28:1-9
Proverbs 7:1-5
The same can be said for the billion dollar health and beauty industry. Perhaps at no time in human history has a man or woman looked so good for so long. You can bet that Methuselah would have benefited from Botox and P90X. Our cremes and injections and regimes and facial camouflage have surely made us the envy of all previous generations.
But as they say, some things are only skin deep. While we may eat food that looks good longer, the reality is that some of the ingredients that keep it looking fresh may also be linked to diseases that are killing us from the inside out. And while on the surface, those magic elixirs make us look 10 years younger, nothing can stop the advance of time also working on the inside. All in all, looks can be deceiving. More than that, they can also be destructive. That is what I heard Jesus warn as I spent time reading His words today.
Talking directly to religious people who were more concerned with appearance instead of substance, Jesus bluntly exposed the things that were only skin deep.
Matthew 23 13 “. . . you hypocrites! . . . You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20
23 “. . . you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.. . You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. . .
27 “. . . you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.. . . "
In today's vernacular, Jesus might have said, "Getting a facelift and a tummy tuck won't cure sclerosis of the liver or hardening of the arteries. You are still rotting on the inside no matter how great the outside looks. Spiritually, your works may look good on the outside but your hearts are rotting away."
When we pay attention only to the outward rituals which can be seen by man but neglect that change of heart that can only be seen by God we are what Jesus said: Hypocrites!
Today God asked me to search my own heart and see if there was any place that I was trying to preserve my outward appearance of righteousness without His work of renewing my heart, too. Such a life is nothing but spiritual Botox that is only skin deep. Since I don't want to be "that Christian" who "looks good outside but inside is full of the bones of the dead" I think I will pause and be sure that my actions are more than just skin deep.
What about you?
Day 35 of 365
Exodus 19:16-25
Exodus 20
Exodus 21:1-21
Matthew 23:13-39
Psalm 28:1-9
Proverbs 7:1-5
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