God Can Make Us Inwardly Beautiful 

On my regular commute to our church building, I pass several houses that are currently up for sale. I have noticed the typical real estate signs next to the road at those locations, often including a picture and contact information for the agent involved. Recently I spotted a secondary marker that was added in front of one of those homes. It reads, “I’m gorgeous inside.” Obviously, this statement is meant to be from the perspective of the house, declaring to any prospective buyers that not only does it look nice on the outside but that its unseen interior is also beautiful. However, I could see how someone at first glance might misinterpret this as a rather egotistical statement being made by the real estate agent whose picture was right next to it.

Some people do think rather highly of themselves, often in connection with their outward appearance. They post their selfies on social media either suggesting or seeking the suggestions of their friends that they are beautiful, or handsome, or cool, or whatever look they are trying to achieve. They might as well post a sign next to their picture saying, “I’m gorgeous!” However, that real estate sign should remind us of a more important question. No matter how we look outwardly, what are we like on the inside? Do we have a beautiful spirit and a good heart? Are we gorgeous on the inside?

Peter specifically reminded wives of this truth, although the principle applies equally to all of us. “Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” (I Peter 3:3-4). This statement doesn’t forbid us from trying to make ourselves look nice outwardly. It simply reminds us of what is more important and what God values most. He is more concerned about the type of person we are on the inside. That should be our priority too.

You may recall the account in the Bible when God directed Samuel to choose a new king for Israel from among the sons of Jesse. When the first of his sons was presented to the prophet, Samuel’s initial reaction based on the candidate’s physical appearance was that certainly this must be God’s chosen one. That is when God reminded His servant, “Do not look at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). Although we get glimpses into the hearts of others, we can’t see what is on the inside of people as God can. Therefore we have to be careful about judging them. But we can look into our own hearts. What does God see when He peers into our thoughts, attitudes, spirit, and motives? Is it gorgeous and pleasing to Him? Or is it an ugly mess? 

We are all too aware of the bad attitudes, evil thoughts, and selfishness that can spring up within us. If we thought we were gorgeous on the inside and posted it for others to see, that would probably be a sign that we aren’t. Nevertheless, beginning with the new heart we can receive through faith in Jesus, He can clean up our thought life. He can give us a more Christlike attitude. He can purify our motives so that we are seeking His will and His glory rather than our own. Let’s yield ourselves to Him, letting Him make us the beautiful people on the inside that He knows we can be.

 

Let’s Surrender to God’s Will for Us 

As I walked into the garage, I noticed one of those unusual giant beetles crawling along the baseboard. Since I was about to leave and close the garage door, I decided for its own good that I would try to guide the insect to safety and freedom. However when I got it out on the driveway, it headed straight back into the garage. I tried again, this time attempting to hurriedly pull my car out and close the door before the beetle could return. Nevertheless, it moved faster than I did, squeezing back into its desired destination just before the door could block its path. I didn’t know bugs could be so stubborn. Later I would find the beetle caught in a cobweb in the corner of the garage, struggling to survive. Once again I offered assistance, freeing it and taking it farther out into the yard this time. Its difficulties in the garage seemed to have taken its toll, possibly injuring one of its legs, as it hobbled slowly through the grass away from the house.

I will admit that I had no real affection for that beetle. It was simply the fact that since I rarely spy one of those larger, interesting-looking members of the species, I decided to try to spare it some trouble, maybe even save its life. Nevertheless, it refused to take advantage of my efforts on its behalf, as it was determined to go its own way.

 Isn’t that much like us in relation to God? He is more than mildly interested in us and our welfare. He loves us deeply. And He is much wiser about us and what is best for us than I was concerning that insect. He wants to help us. He provides guidance for us. He sees the pitfalls and dangers in our pathways, making efforts to help us avoid them. He is working for our good, if we would just listen to Him and follow His leading. However, much like that bug, we tend to stubbornly insist on having our own way, often to our detriment.

I don’t know that I understand all that was involved in the unusual incident recorded in Genesis when Jacob wrestled with God. However, it seems to have been a turning point for this man who had been accustomed to using his cunning and wits throughout his life in order to get his own way. From manipulating his brother into giving up his birthright to wheeling and dealing with his father-in-law over his wages in sheep, Jacob found ways to obtain what he wanted. Nevertheless, at this point he seems to come to the place of surrendering to God’s will for him. He didn’t give up his own will and plans easily. It was a struggle. And Jacob came away from this encounter with a permanent limp in his step. It served as a constant reminder to him that God was greater than he was, that He knew best, and that Jacob could trust Him to direct his life.

Have we come to that realization in our own lives? Are we stubbornly refusing to listen to God’s voice and submit to His will because we are so determined to go the direction we want to go? If so, we are only hurting ourselves. God knows what is best for us. And He truly cares about us. He isn’t trying to spoil our fun – He is looking out for our best interests, both in connection with this life and for eternity.

Let’s quit fighting against the One who loves us most and who is most concerned about our welfare. Let’s stop frustrating His efforts to help us. Let’s come to that place of surrendering completely to Him and to His will for us.

 

The Holy Spirit Guides You and Me 

I cannot remember ever hearing the Holy Spirit being mentioned on news reports to the degree it was done last week. Sometimes God is referred to, or even Jesus at times, but rarely do we hear much about what some consider to be the more mysterious member of the Holy Trinity. Even in some churches He tends to be given significant less recognition than the Father and the Son. However, I heard the Holy Spirit being repeatedly acknowledged by reporters in connection with the conclave of cardinals who were selecting a new pope of the Catholic church. It was suggested that these officials considered themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit as they undertook this task of electing a leader. Supposedly, instead of being directed by personal preferences or church politics, they were operating under the influence of the Holy Spirit in making this decision.

I will leave it up to others to debate whether or not, or to what extent, the Holy Spirit may have been involved in that particular process. However, it was interesting to hear people acknowledge His presence and to indicate that He is actively involved in what is going on in the world. Nevertheless, I believe we need to be careful not to get the wrong idea. The Holy Spirit isn’t just at work among what some might consider to be a sacred gathering of church officials. He doesn’t work only in their lives or exclusively gives them guidance. Neither is His overseeing limited to certain matters such as the election of a pope. The Holy Spirit is accessible to all believers and His guidance is available to all who are open to it.

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell every individual who puts his trust in Jesus as his Savior. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (I Corinthians 3:16). As such, He is also there to work in our lives, to minister to us, and to give us guidance. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Romans 8:14). Jesus told His followers that the Holy Spirit would teach them (John 14:26) and guide them into all truth (John 16:13).

The point is that the Holy Spirit isn’t just available to a group of robe-clad church officials. He is present in the lives of all true followers of Jesus. Neither does He only show up when such a group gathers at the Vatican, a church building, or any other setting considered to be sacred. He is right there with us in our homes, at school, in the workplace, at the store, or wherever we happen to be. And He doesn’t just give us direction about such holy matters as the election of a church leader or other church-related issues. He can guide us about all the various choices we have to make each day, even those everyday decisions concerning family and work and personal issues. The Holy Spirit can apply God’s Word to whatever we are facing in our lives. He can show us the right way to go, as well as warn us when we start drifting away.

So let’s remember that we are privileged to have the very presence of God actively working in our lives. We don’t have to depend on cardinals, priests, or pastors to guide us. Their counsel might be needed and can be helpful. However, every believer has the anointing of the Holy Spirit on their own lives. We can lean on Him for support. We can trust Him to lead us as we go through life. So let’s allow the Holy Spirit to be our guide.

 

The Unseen God Is Always Nearby 

My youngest grandson’s name is Truett. So it seemed appropriate when some of our family was together in the vicinity of a restaurant named Truett’s Grill that we would go there. Later my daughter posted a picture on social media, showing our grandson sitting on a bench in front of a sign displaying the restaurant’s name and logo. It looked like the perfect photo with our grandson smiling and with a hand raised toward the sign. However, what you didn’t see is what was just outside the frame of the picture. I had been holding Truett, so I was the one who situated him on that bench. Every time I let go and stepped back, our small grandson wouldn’t sit still long. He was quick to lean forward and start moving as if he was going to crawl over the edge of the bench. So while this particular picture turned out great, there were probably multiple others showing my arm holding him or with me in the picture sitting him back up again. You couldn’t see it in that posted photo, but I was right there ready to grab him in order to keep him from falling.

On this Mother’s Day weekend, we are thankful for moms who were always there, watching over their children, and protecting them from harm. They may have been prominently in the picture of their children’s lives oftentimes, but other times they were out of sight, in the background, supporting and praying for their kids. Let’s be thankful for such moms today.

And let’s be grateful for a God who is like that too. He is always there for His children, for those who love Him and are putting their trust in Him. He isn’t visible. We aren’t enabled to see His hand holding us or wrapped around us, as some of the people in Daniel’s day witnessed a divine hand writing mysteriously on a wall. God doesn’t physically appear in those snapshots of our lives, but we know that He is there. In our joyous moments, God is right there nearby celebrating with us and clapping for us. As we face challenges, God is there to support us, encourage us, and give us strength to overcome. As we face tragic circumstances. He is there to comfort us, to wipe away our tears, to hold us close, and to enable us to keep going. As we deal with confusing situations, God is there, still in control, and making sure that all things are working together for good to those who love Him.  

At times we may feel like we are alone. We can’t see God, and we may not sense His presence. Nevertheless, by faith we know that He is there. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Sometimes as we think back through some of the pivotal moments in our lives, we may not have been aware of it at the time, but now we can see God’s hand. He was there all the time, guiding us and protecting us. And no matter what we may be facing now or in the days ahead, we can be confident that He will be there just as He has been in the past. God is faithful. We can count on Him. He is the same God who loves us and is watching over us.

The Bible reminds us, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). We may not see those arms. Sometimes we may not feel them. However, they are there. They are “everlasting”. So no matter what you are going through today, remember that if you could see beyond the snapshot of this physical world, there are divine arms right there, holding you up, protecting you, and comforting you.  

 

Trust God’s Guidance in Your Life 

Recently I attended a retreat that I had been in charge of planning for our church association. While making those arrangements last year, I did extensive research on the various venues that were available that would fit our needs and timeframe. I was looking for someplace different than where we had held this event in the past, trying to get the retreat more centrally located for our members. However, I kept running into roadblock after roadblock. Either the facilities weren’t adequate, or the dates we needed weren’t available, or in one case the hotel was involved in extensive remodeling. I finally booked our event at a location that wasn’t my first choice, but I hoped it would work out. Now that the retreat is over, I am glad to report that it could not have turned out better. The location on a lake was beautiful, the staff at our hotel were so friendly and helpful, and the food was delicious. Everyone in attendance said it was a great spot that they would want to come back to for a future retreat. Knowing all the struggles that got us there, I could only give the glory to God for working everything out in the way that He did. In spite of what I had in mind, He opened and closed the right doors to get us to exactly where we needed to be.

It reminds me of the scripture that declares, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). There is nothing wrong with planning. It is necessary and helpful in many cases. However, we need to realize that we are not the one ultimately in control. If we are following the Lord, we have His assurance that He is guiding us. In the case of the retreat, some of my ideas and plans kept getting changed, but through it all God was directing us to just where He knew was best for the occasion.

Last week my wife and her mother were going on a beach trip together. On the morning of their departure, they had planned on getting an early start. Everything was looking favorable until they discovered there was a missing bag. The items in it were important enough that they backtracked to my mother-in-law’s house in order to search for it. It all turned into quite an ordeal that left them getting started on their vacation a couple of hours later than planned. When I spoke to my wife after they were finally on their way, I was pleased to hear that they weren’t frustrated over this delay. They assumed that God had a reason for this detour. They didn’t know if maybe it caused them to avoid an accident or if there was some other purpose, but they were trusting that the Lord was directing their steps.

Can we have that confidence when our plans go awry? I have to admit that I struggle with it sometimes. I can tend to get flustered when obstacles pop up, forcing me to adjust my plans. The Lord has helped me to deal with those situations better than I used to do, but I can still feel that urge to get frustrated when facing such unexpected circumstances.

I love the old song that asserts, “All the way my Savior leads me.” Let’s have faith that He is doing so. Sometimes we might be able to look back and see what He was doing, as I did concerning the retreat. Other times, we may never know why He led a certain way, but we simply trust there was a reason for it.

Let’s be thankful that God is leading us, whether it fits in with what we had originally planned or not.