{"id":2483,"date":"2020-09-08T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-08T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shop.honestreflections.net\/?p=2483"},"modified":"2020-08-31T09:21:56","modified_gmt":"2020-08-31T14:21:56","slug":"when-youre-in-youre-in-no-matter-who-you-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2020\/09\/08\/when-youre-in-youre-in-no-matter-who-you-are\/","title":{"rendered":"WHEN YOU\u2019RE IN, YOU\u2019RE IN, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cYou are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.\u201d (2 Corinthians 10:7 NIV)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appearances lie.  Everyone falls for the lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We see a picture on social media. We believe what we see.  One I\u2019ve fallen for is the shark\u2019s silhouette in an ocean wave about to break on the beach.  Not real.  Pictures of happy couples, families, friends aren\u2019t usually accurate.  When you see these pictures on Facebook, remember, it\u2019s the best photo taken, not the worst.  The image before, when the baby is crying, the wife is angry, and dad is exhausted, we don\u2019t see that picture.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appearances don\u2019t indicate the condition of the heart.  When we look at someone, we don\u2019t know if they follow Jesus or not.  Their actions will reveal their beliefs as the relationship grows, but we cannot tell by appearance.  Once someone says yes to Christ, it\u2019s a yes for always.  Nothing strips us from Christ\u2019s love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judge actions, not appearance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we judge by appearance, we\u2019re missing what lies beneath the waterline.  The message my pastor gave this week talked about looking beneath the surface.  Don\u2019t accept what you see on the surface.  Instead, look deeper for the truth. He challenged us with a simple, yet complex statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod, reveal to me what you see in me that is not giving me life.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging by appearances hinders all of our lives.  We think we know someone\u2019s heart because of how they look.  When I was in college, one of my friends was a model.  My jealousy over her appearance stopped me from seeing her precious heart.  If we can\u2019t get past how they look, we\u2019ll never see their soul\u2019s works.  Only God knows what lies within a person\u2019s inner being:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.\u201d (<\/em>Psalm 44:21 NIV<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we want to know what lies beneath the water, both for ourselves and others, we must seek God.  He reveals His knowledge to us as we seek Him.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, God revealed to me my issue with jealousy.  Through different people in my life, He\u2019s taught me to look deeper than the surface.  My college roommate was a slim, gorgeous gymnast with a soft voice.  People adored her.  She had a good looking boyfriend. My jealousy was at it\u2019s highest.  But what I didn\u2019t see was her intense battle with drugs.  Her addiction was below the waterline; I couldn\u2019t see it.  All I saw was what was on the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three lessons we can learn from today\u2019s verse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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