The_Inside

It is said that, 'All that glitters is not Gold.', and as well that, 'Looking upon the countenance of a man, one may be deceived into believing a truth that may actually not be the true one.', and my inclination lies in that direction. Seeing is not always believing, in fact, for the most part... seeing can lead to deception. That being said, let's back this up with some scripture. In the first book of Samuel, the sixth chapter and the seventh verse it is written; "...the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." It is clear from this text that God definitely does not look on the outside of things but rather on the inside.

On my way to work or town (i don't really remember) recently i witnessed something that gave me the idea to write this piece. The journey was about halfway through when the bus conductor started to collect the fares from us the passengers. As was the norm, he collected the money in rows of seats, and when he got to a particular passenger, the one stretched out an arm with the note squeezed up nice and tight in the palm. Now, my first thought was; "Seriously?!!", and then i turned to look at the countenance of the conductor (commonly called 'mate') to see his reaction. To my amazement, he just took the note out of the person's palm, straightened it up and added it to the notes he had already collected and then gave the passenger the required change. I sat and thought about the occurrence for a while wondering why the mate did not retort to the passenger handing him a 'messed-up' note. Right then a voice whispered; "It is not the outside of the note that matters, but rather its value." A little smile flashed across my face as i realised the folly of my wonderings. Then this part of I Samuel 6:7 run through my mind; "...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

You see, the thing is, we have really come to rely upon our senses especially the one that is sight, and this causes us to sometimes fall into ignorance or hypocrisy. If that note handed the mate were shiny and fresh, had that fresh smell of air about it, and were handed to any one person as a gift there'd be no hesitation in grabbing it out of the hand of the one offering it, but the minute it starts to look all raggedy and nasty then we IMMEDIATELY fail to see its value. Truth is... it holds the same value! If only we'd wipe off that ignorance and look closely, we'd see clearly what truly is. Unfortunately, we repeat this behavior with our fellow man. Put a man in a suit and tie and give him a set of “expensive” car keys… he automatically becomes a millionaire worth something, but strip him of all of that and he's nothing but a beggar on the street! The funny thing is the brain in the being remains the same and unchanged, or... i should say, unedited.

Ignorance makes the majority of people look on the outer shell that can simply be polished rather than on the inner contents that remain naturally intact regardless of any changes wrought to the outer body. Rip or tear a currency note with a value of a one (1) and it still remains a currency note with a value of a one (1), but change its value from a 1 to a 1000 and now there's a difference. The same is true of man. He only changes in value when his mind and spirit learn and grow, and this can only be achieved by Prayer and the Study of The Word of God. A person may look like he has and knows it all but may actually be an empty barrel! ...while another may not look like much (in terms of looks) and may seem to know nothing but may have a world of knowledge embedded deep within. It is this we must learn to embrace - The_Inside.

It is necessary to emulate God on this one - looking on the inside rather than the obvious and deceptive outside. Truth always lies deep within. Searching the countenance of man for a truth or a lie would be a vain decision if the holder of said truth or lie decided not to reveal it. Prayer for discernment and the wisdom to grow are very necessary in this situation. Luckily for us, God made provision in His Word and in James 1:5, KJV said this; "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." All you have to do is simply ASK.

David certainly did not look like much on the outside - a ruddy boy born of a harlot left to watch over cattle - but on his inside, sitting ever comfortably and waiting for the opportune time to come out, was a King! His own father did not know this and had relegated him to the task of a servant, but God who looks upon the heart (the inside) knew this and thus when it was time to anoint His appointed, Samuel was led to skip ALL of David's brothers in order to find him. Thus, regardless of his brothers' structures being thought of by Samuel as the right one to fit the position, God who ignored the outward and focused on the inward saw what none else could see in this ruddy boy - A King! - and thus, David was sought for and called upon from wherever he was in the fields to be anointed.

The outside can be deceptive, but whatever lies on the inside... remains true. You are certainly NOT defined by your outside, but by what God defines you to be! He, in His own Word said; "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5, KJV. This applies to all sons of God. He knew us before birth and what we were ordained to do, and thus... the outside of us can NEVER be our definition but merely a marker of the processes God is taking us through.

I'd like to share a quote on something an inspiring man of God said a little while back today. He said;

"Your treasure is not in the shoes and clothes you wear...

Your worth is on your inside... the invisible gift and purposes of God which human eyes can't see...

It may be masked by a lanky body...

It may be disguised in a poor home...

It may be miscontrued by the value of the car you drive...

But make no mistake... the Lord said...

Before you were formed in your mother's womb... where you had no clothes education... money and fame, I already knew you and ordained you a minstrel... a preacher... a prophet... an encourager... a lecturer... a Ceo.

Now why do you wait to wear and appear a certain way before you believe I have called you to greatness?

Leave men to think what they want to. You need not look like wat you will become in order to get there. For our present and momentary afflictions and looks works for us a FAR Exceeding Weight of glory... May we enter our glorious destiny!

May our tomorrow make men doubt our today when they look back in Jesus' name! Amen." - Pastor Jonas Mensah

This declaration is pointing to all sons of God, and... I believe has said it all.

 ~ yoyo

~ inspiredw0rdz

~ September 15, 2015 ; 16:46 pm