Beyond Common Sense

If I said, “This is a toad,” you would question my judgment, perhaps even my sanity! You may even argue, “That’s not a toad, it’s a cat.”  If I asked you how you knew it was a cat, you might stare at me in wonder; but to humor me, you might say, “It’s furry – toads do not have fur.  It’s cute – toads are not cute. (Opinion statement!)   “Look at it licking its fur.  Toads catch flies with their tongues.”

So you judge a creature by its looks and actions.

Are we wrong to do the same with Christians?  What does a Christian look like?  If we had a lineup like the police do and only one person was a professing Christian, how would you pick him out of the lineup?

1. I would like to think that his countenance would speak loudly: a smile, a look in the eye that seems to say, “The Spirit of God dwells within.”
2. His outward appearance.  Ours is the only century in which this is a difficulty.  Think back to Bible times.  Picture a Christian and picture a Roman.  Picture a Hebrew and picture an Egyptian. There were not just cultural differences, there were serious modesty differences as well.  Think to the 17^th or 18^th century.  Would you see a Christian dressed in a revealing, immodest garment? If so, she would have been called a harlot.
3. Could we tell by his speech?  Would there be a difference?

Is it a toad or a cat?  Is a Christian just an inner change, or does having the Spirit of the True and Living God dwelling within make a difference on the outside as well?  Just something to think about; but remember, the world is dying to see something real in a Christian’s life!  “ If you want to make a difference, you gotta be different.”

“But 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.”  1Sa 16:7