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Topic: Ding-Dong (05/16/13)
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TITLE: Jesus Calling | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ron Barnes
05/20/13 -
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We read in Revelations 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. Just as Avon promised to improve you on the outside, Jesus promises to improve you to the very depth of your soul. Avon promised to make you look better to others. And certainly most people want to look more attractive in order to achieve social and business objectives. But Jesus had some rather harsh words to say about those who sought the approval of the public.
Matthew_23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Luke_11:43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Matthew_6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
The message here is clear. Outward appearances and the approval of other people are meaningless to our Father. Outer beauty is a fleeting thing indeed, as is the approval of the crowd. In fact, as soon as a person achieves popularity, we look for ways to destroy their popularity. The technical term for this is schadenfreude, which means taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others. We revel in seeing entertainers and politicians brought down for their social or legal shortcomings. We watch reality shows and take pleasure when contestants fail to meet their challenges.
Unlike our fellow humans, our Father takes no delight in our shortcomings. He wants only the best for us. Over the past sixty-seven years, I have had many failures in my life. But our Father has shown me ways to overcome them and continue to grow toward what He wants me to become. All I had to do was open the door to my heart and listen to what He had to say to me.
Ding dong. Jesus calling.
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