Take a Closer Look!

Yesterday afternoon I finally got a chance to go do some bass fishing. I left the house and headed to a spot on a creek that runs through our area. I got my waders on and got into the creek and started fishing my way upstream. While I was working my way up through the creek I noticed a boat that had been washed down stream at some point. From where I stood it, looked in decent shape. I decided to check it out better on the way back down. After catching one bass, I made it back to the boat. I was shocked at what condition the boat was actually in. It was badly deteriorated and beyond any salvage. I removed any thought of fixing it up. The closer look showed it's true condition.

When it comes to our spiritual lives, there are times when our lives may be like that boat. From a distance, oiur lives look great and we look spiritually healthy. The problem is that we may not be doing so hot in our walk with the Lord. People see us or what we want them to see and think that we are doing great when in actuality we are struggling just to hold on and survive. Our life may be falling apart just as that boat was. The frame looked good from the distance but if someone was to get close they would see what the truth was. All of us have struggled from time to time in our walk with Christ. Some times Christians should win the Oscar for their performance acting as though everything is fine. We are told to examine ourselves before we take communion. Why don't we examine ourselves on a regular basis. When we see sin in our lives, why not get rid of it and ask God to forgive us and cleanse us from the sin? The issue is that by letting the sin stay in our lives we allow our lives to decay spiritually. Before long our "boat" is looking pretty bad. The outside may look good, but inside where it really matters, it is collapsing and would sink if it were ever put in the water or a storm hit. I think about the old Star Kist tuna commercial . Charlie Tuna was told that Star Kist doesn't want a tuna with good taste, they want a tuna that taste good. God doesn't want a believer to just look good outside but He wants believers that are good or righteous on the inside. God looks at the heart while man looks at the outward appearance.

The great thing for us to remember is that God is in the restoration business. He proved that when He sent Jesus to dies fore us and rose again in victory. He can take that "old boat" we call our lives and restore it to the original plans when He built it. Lets be honest with God and we won't have to worry whether or not people take a closer look. By the way, the bass I caught was a whopping 7 inches. Maybe next time!