Appearances Matter!

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:21,22 KJV

If we care about what others think and we should--to a point--but more importantly, we should care about what God thinks about what we do. People tend to judge "what they see" without considering other factors, but God knows--our thoughts and our hearts--and certainly our intent.

With all of the uproar and media attention spotlighting --any person or place at any time--it would be the height of foolishness to attempt to do anything that is remotely wrong. Common sense--exercised far too little--needs to be exercised in all we do. Just one false move--or seemingly false move can create chaos and confusion and lead to the demise of jobs and reputations.

Why do we do it? We forget that appearances--matter to all who are looking and sometimes, those appearances, color perceptions. This is why it is important for all Believers to know that others watching us, will judge us--rightly or wrongly--and determine whether we are credible or not.

Unless The Lord directs our steps into certain venues--we should avoid them so they won't taint our testimonies. Not one Believer should ever be seen in a strip-club, a drug house, or entertaining the moguls of ungodliness in any venue.

Not one Believer should ever put themselves into a position to be falsely accused of anything--adultery, fornication, theft, mismanagement or any other thing that could deter the unbelieving from making a decision for Christ.

If we do all things--with the understanding that God sees and knows all and we care about what He thinks of us--we can avoid the pitfalls and snares that the enemy sets for us, but allowing Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts and we obey.

For every foul-mouthed individual out there (and there are many), we tend to judge presumptuously, but judgment is the end result for we know that corrupt communications, corrupt good manners. A person may be a "good person" but if they cannot control their mouths--some of us will never know it.

I'm guilty of assessing situations and coming up with the wrong answers. And because of my assessments of people, I tend to stay away from certain groups because I care what God thinks about me--I'm avoiding the appearance of evil. However, I have also concluded that just because I find myself in the presence of people who do not know--how God wants them to live--I do not have to become like them in order to be a light to them. After all, it is not my job to judge people (I can judge sin as can all Believers and we should) and therefore, if I remove myself from every situation in which people are involved, I limit opportunity for God to rise in me for them to see Him.

When we're not sure of what we should do, we should seek God--prayerfully and know that He is faithful and just and will never steer us in the wrong direction. If we end up on the wrong path trying to do the right thing, we need to seek the right path and get back to where God would have us.

And here is the most important thing to remember, "If we only do the right thing, we never have to worry about doing the wrong thing."  In the greater scheme of life, appearances do matter, so we must watch what we say and do.

Misjudged!

I've read a number of blog posts that address the birth of Jesus--more specifically--Mary and I have been thinking about how she managed to hold up her head when everyone around her was judging her--or rather--misjudging her.

Superficiality--judging a matter based on surface appearances or externals has been the cause of missteps throughout our history. People have been misjudged because of the tribe from which they came, because of the color of their skin, because of their family connections or affiliations, because of their intelligence quotas or the special needs, because of their faith or lack thereof, because of their gender or nationality--all this misjudgment--declaring something is so without having sufficient evidence.

During the time that Mary was pregnant with her precious Son, she was supposed to have been stoned to death, according to the law. We know that people did not think that Joseph was the father or they both could have been stoned to death--with the presumption that he was the father. For centuries now, whenever a woman gets pregnant without the benefit of marriage--she bears a stigma for life and in many cases so does the child. That stigma--judging a matter without all the facts--stems from a lack of compassion or self-righteousness or even worse--a superiority complex.

There are some people who can never feel comfortable in their own skin unless they are attempting to make others inferior to them.
Fortunately, Mary rose above the rumors and held up her head with pride, knowing she had no reason to be ashamed. Most who have a relationship with God, understand the inference in scriptures and know how Joseph felt--but what a champion he became to his betrothed. No matter what some may say, I believe that love--Mary's love of God and His love for her, along with Joseph's love--gave her the strength to prevail against the naysayers and the hatemongers. She understood her purpose. She did not attempt to explain to those who would not have understood anyway--how she had been chosen by God to bring forth the Savior of mankind. They would not have believed her anyway--not then. But now--when we have historical records to review--there are some who are still unbelieving and would rather judge those who do believe--misjudging!

For as long as people have a right to believe whatever it is they believe--others will be misjudged when they do not agree. I pray that believers everywhere will develop the stamina and strength to stand up for their beliefs, regardless of how they will be misjudged by those who do not believe. We have a Risen Savior, born into circumstances beyond His control whose mother was misjudged and so was He. They had a purpose to fulfill and they did so, in spite of the naysayers.

Today, each one of us has a purpose to fulfill and many may not understand why we do what we do and we will be misjudged. Proceed with the knowledge that God loves you, and He will never leave you alone. People will talk and misjudge you, but don't allow their thoughts about you to deter you from God's plan for you. Hold your head high--not from self-righteousness or sense of superiority, but in the knowledge that you are doing what God would have you to do.

During this season--remember Mary and what she endured to bring us our Savior. Now endure what you must in order to please God and your reward will be great from Him--even if others don't understand and misjudge you.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we ask that You grant us with more wisdom from on high--to do all that You would have us to do. Thank You for loving us, in spite of our shortcomings and Your willingness to experience misjudgment for our sakes. Thank You for giving us chance after chance to get our relationship right with You. Thank You for the gifts--both natural and spiritual--being developed in all right now so we can fulfill the purposes You have established for us. Help us stand in the face of adversity, knowing You are always right by our sides and we hold our heads up high. Amen!