Advertising Gimmicks
Scripture to Ponder:
Galatians 1:10, 6:1-5
Matthew 6:1-4
Mark 7:6
James 1:19-27
As a little girl I used to spend many summer days at my grandparent's house. It's funny how certain things stand out and are committed to memory for a lifetime. I recall that my Nanny sure loved to shop and QVC was by far her favorite television channel. I'm pretty sure she had them on speed dial. She would be watching the advertisement, tell me she needed that item, and I would hear the dial tone as she placed the phone to her ear. They greeted her by name and in one or two words she was finished. That let me know she was certainly a frequent flyer. Days would pass and at last the eagerly awaited box would arrive on her porch. As she opened the box and unveiled it's contents, she would again say how she had needed said item. In reality, nope, she didn't need it, but the advertising of the item had pulled her in yet again and if the item was on sale...well, maybe she needed two!
There are all kinds of advertising gimmicks ranging from get rich quick schemes to the inflatable dancing man flailing back and forth on the car lot, the infamous Clydesdale horses to Tony the Tiger, or infomercial commercials that offer amazing deals and if you order in 5 minutes you get 2 for 39.99. We've seen them all and at times may get deceived, but we often wonder if it's really what it seems. Right? In reality, we want the honest truth, not just gimmicks that make us think something is what it truly isn't.
What about ourselves? Do we have any gimmicks we use to get people to assume we are something we're truly not? We go to church, we are involved in our community, and volunteer our time, but are our hearts where they need to be? On the outside appearances can say we're a good Christian, but God knows the status of our heart. That's the most important thing and appearances don't always show what's in someone's heart. At times, we may even become deceived by our own pretending, when in reality we're not truly where we need to be in our relationship with Christ. When's the last time we've asked Christ to search our heart and truly listened for his response?
Christ gave warning to this type of behavior in Scripture. He called them hypocrites. No sugarcoating there. I wish I could have seen their faces as he taught. I imagine pride was rearing it's ugly head about that time. But let's not deceive ourselves; we can all examine ourselves and find room for improvements. If you can't, let me follow in the footsteps of Scripture - yep, I'm calling you a Hypocrite! In all seriousness, this is an important warning. He's telling us to be careful. Don't get caught up in what other's think, what their opinions are, or the praise and affirmation you get from other people. He's saying, I know your heart and I can see what others can't. Who do we think we're fooling? We set in church with a smile, yet pride and bitterness has taken root in our heart, or we're angry, or we're worrying... the list goes on and on. Others may be fooled by appearances, sweet sister, but God is not and truly we're only hurting ourselves. He knows the very depths of our hearts, more so than we know ourselves, and that's why he's the one we go to, asking for him to search our hearts, so that we're not deceiving ourselves.
It's easy to point out areas of improvement for others. We're pretty good at that, because it keeps the focus off of our flaws and sin nature, but let's get past the gimmicks and appearances so that we can keep moving forward in this journey to be more like Christ. Let's be sisters who are honest and transparent with Christ so that our relationship grows, because there are no gimmicks with Christ. He knows our hearts and isn't fooled by our outward appearances or words. Let's be sisters who encourage one another to dig deeper than we ever have before in our relationship with Christ!
Questions to Ponder:
Are there areas of my life where I seek affirmation from others instead of from God?
Have I asked Christ to search my heart and reveal anything that is displeasing to him?
