Putting It On

The sunbeams below, clouds above, and a little rain too, an interesting morning has dawned. Halloween parties begin soon, I wonder how many of us are putting it on like a costume these days. Are you cheerful in church, scholarly in school, and industrious in your industry while in the public view, but then at home you feel no urge to the prayer closet as show after show slips by on the television? We can through following the god of what others think become one of those who puts it on before going out.

The costume seems to fit so very well, and others think so much better of us in flattering words and smiling faces. We must therefore be on the right track, no? We can ask but one question to ascertain if the direction is correct: Will the opinion of the fellow sinners save us from God's judgment? Hmm, perhaps a better guide is available? What if this guide says that our children do not have to be perfect, our self-discipline may slip a bit at times, and that forgiveness is available to all? Gasp! I don't have to be perfect in my own eyesight to make it? Exactly, the work of salvation comes from God's Son. We don't have to meet the world's standards!

With the constant bombardment of today's media, we can fall into a habit of 'putting it on' for the masses. We try and try to please the world's opinion, and along the way hope that enough compliments will penetrate our perfectionism to make us look good in our own sight. Jesus died on the cross fully knowing us as we were, but rose again to make us something more. The first freed us from eternal condemnation; the second allowed us time to believe and to grow in the faith. Yes, we must grow, for no one is saved to immediate super-Christianhood. We gotta practice faith and grow like the tiny mustard seed. Throw off the costume, folks, I need room to grow my faith!

Bucky