KEEPING UP APPEARANCES!

John 7:24 AMPC

Be honest in your judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances); but judge fairly and righteously.

 

Ever seen the British comedy series Keeping Up Appearances? It’s about Mrs Hyacinth Bucket, which she pronounces Bouquet. She’s all about appearances. Hyacinth turns up to her church cleaning day, in her best outfit, not to help but to be noticed. She’s only interested in the most prominent duties.

Appearances can be deceiving, unfortunately, most people tend to see only the outside packaging. Judging a book by its cover is another way of viewing or valuing people and things.

Keeping up appearances often means hiding behind masks—projecting a version of ourselves that isn’t real. But God is not impressed by our façades. He desires authenticity. He values inner beauty, the kind that reflects His character as stated in 1 Peter 3:3-4.

Exactly what Samuel did when God sent him to Jesse’s to anoint the king in 1 Samuel 9:2, Samuel was taken by Eliab’s appearance as the elect.

Like Mrs Bucket we all try to keep up appearances. We keep up appearances in some areas of our lives, sometimes unintentionally but especially in the festive seasons.

Jesus admonishes us never to judge the merit or demerit of action, based on first impressions. Keeping up appearances can be dangerous because it stems from deception. It’s pretending to be something that we’re not. Whom are we trying to impress? Man or God?

Keeping up appearances means exhibiting artificial characters that hide the real person. We dress up and put on masks, mannerism and attitude that hides our true self whilst trying to blend in. Many of us have false reputations and impressions that do not reflect the inner us.

God doesn't focus on our outward appearances. It is what's on the inside that matters most to Him. The Bible tells us that God's focus is on developing our inner beauty so that it can be reflected in everything we do and who we are.

Outward appearance is not the best way to judge a person. Look at Jesus. God's Son came to Earth as a man. Do people recognize His outward appearance as anything but a man? No. Instead, he was hung on a cross. His people did not look beyond the outer appearance to see His inner beauty and holiness as seen in Matthew 23:28.

We spend money buying gifts this season for that gathering to please someone and keep on the right side of another, meanwhile, our hearts are full of resentment, anger and dislike.

Unfortunately, we live in a superficial world where people judge appearances. We would all love to say that we are not in the majority and that we all look beyond what's on the outside, but we are mostly influenced by appearances as seen in Matthew 7:20. What’s our focus on? Weight, clothes, make-up, money, what or on God?

We must keep appearance in perspective. The Bible tells us that presenting ourselves as nicely as possible is important, but God does not call us to go to extremes. We must be models of the character traits and wisdom taught throughout the bible according to Proverbs 31:30, we must remain aware of why we do the things we do.

We mustn’t be like the world, which focuses on what’s attractive to the eyes and draws attention to themselves as stated in 1 John 2:15-16.

Our Christian influence and witness should affect our appearance according to 1 Timothy 2:9, 10, let’s exhibit decent and appealing appearances as ambassadors of Christ and avoid anything that may confuse what we stand for. Keep it real!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

-         In what areas of your life are you most tempted to “keep up appearances”?

-         How do you think God views the difference between your outward appearance and your inner character?

-         Have you ever judged someone based on how they looked or acted outwardly?

-         Are there any “masks” you feel God is asking you to remove?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, help me to resist the pressure to conform to the world’s standards and instead pursue the inner beauty that pleases You. Teach me to see others through Your eyes, with compassion and grace, not judgment to glorify You and point others to Your truth. I surrender my image, my reputation, and my heart to You in Jesus’ name, Amen.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3StgnkAveM5QY3i00Vn16Z?si=IbdMrhnzSKy1EIeDHD0ivw

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