(Exodus 20:3, Luke [14:33])
On a window seal in my man cave (my wife might more accurately describe it as my junk room) sits a red candle in a white bowl which I inherited from some long ago Christmas time. Sitting across the top of that bowl and propped against the window is an old picture, probably older than I am. It is a painting done on a small sheet of metal and framed.
A painting of a big magnificent looking sailing ship with lots of sails. It is at sea sailing in choppy seas. On the two main masts there are at least five large sails. The forward mast over the bow holds two more and the rear mast holds maybe three more. She is a fine looking powerful ship. The metal she is painted on has been rippled so that when you reach out and touch the waves, you actually feel the rippling of the waves and can imagine them slapping against the ship’s hull. The name Frank Clifford is down in the right corner. I can stare at that painting and, little boy like, imagine sailing to Africa and other exciting places on board that ship back in the day. But… even though it looks impressive and has that wavy feel to it, it is still just a painting and not the real thing.
Is that how we are? We may look impressive in our walk with the Lord and if someone reaches out and “touches” our lives by interacting with us, we may, on the surface at least, give a good impression of being the real thing… but, are we? If someone went deep into our lives and character, would they find us to be real and authentically Christ-like?
Jesus taught a lot about being committed wholly to Him. In Luke 14 and again in Luke 16 He addressed this. In fact, you can find this teaching throughout the New Testament, the teaching which says we must have no other gods before Him. And of course, that is one of the original Ten Commandments, isn’t it? Why would it be so often repeated? Maybe it is because we so often mess it up. The ancient Jewish people failed time and time again to stay faithful to God… to be really with Him. Our current Sunday School lessons in the book of Isaiah show us that over and over.
Let’s be careful and take time each day to speak with our God and call on Him to guide us, recommitting ourselves daily to follow Him as best we can. Let’s be the real thing.
Clint Bowman