Thursday, October 20, 2011

Outward Appearance

“Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”" (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT)


In his book, Modern Times, Paul Johnson notes that Stalin was short--just five feet, four inches tall. Furthermore, a childhood accident had left his left arm stiff and his hand slightly misshapen.

So when the dictator commissioned his portrait, he instructed the artist to paint him from his best angle--from below, a perspective that made Stalin seem to tower over the artist. To add to the image, Stalin folded his hands over his stomach, making them appear firm and powerful --more like the pseudonym he had chosen: Stalin, which means "man of steel."

It is natural to try to present ourselves in the best possible light. But God’s Word is a mirror that shows us our true light. We may be able to deceive others. But there is nothing hidden from God.

As Abraham Lincoln said, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."

DAY LIGHTERS by Nico Bougas available from amazon.com

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