Scripture
And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
~2 Corinthians 3:18, NET
Quote
Jesus will {desires} and interest were that of His Father: we are a bundle of self-centered fears, hopes, griefs, jealousies and self-conceits all doomed to death.
~C.S. Lewis
Many, many years ago, I was visiting in a home where there was a six year old girl who was watching the children’s animated version of Beauty and the Beast. For some reason, I was attracted to the music and she asked me to lay in the floor and watch the movie with her. I don’t remember how long I was there but I got the moral of the story. A beautiful girl named Belle kissed a hideous beast and with that kiss {or the love in the kiss}, the beast was transformed into a handsome young prince. We are the beast. How many good things do we do with the wrong motive? How many things do we do out of fear of public opinion or the acceptance of others. Do we always act like we feel or do we pretend at times to be better than we actually are? How many times a day do we feel morally or intectually superior to others? Have you ever considered the fact that no matter what you say or do, you cannot change your motives? Motives come from the heart and only Christ can transform our hearts.
Now our pretending is not all bad. Sometimes we pretend out of love. We pretend to be unafraid when we are actually frightened, but we don’t dare let it show because there are others that are depending on us. Our children will remain calm if we remain calm. Pretending to have courage amidst fear is a form of courage when you are doing it for others sake. The problem with be brutally honest is the brutality of being brutally honest. It is not a good thing to insult others with our opinions. It is probably not the right thing to say to your wife who just got home from the beauty parlor, “Where did you get that hair do, from riding on the back of a motor cycle?” If you hate someone’s attire, keep it to yourself. Live with the pain, don’t share it. Every good marriage counselor uses this formula, pretend that you love her/him whether you do or not. Start doing loving things for your spouse and watch what happens. Erotic lose is based on feelings more than anything else, but true love is an act of the will; it is a commitment. As Lewis puts it, “Let us pretend in order to make pretense a reality.”
In other words, act like Jesus although you know deep in your heart you are no where close. Don’t let the devil discourage you by accusing you of being a hypocrite. None of us are completely transformed but we are in the process.
Extra
I went to the Point around 6:30 am yesterday, so I reversed by daily schedule and left most of my devotions for the evening. This does not work good for me. It was almost 6:00 pm before I got to the office and every devotion convicted me. I thought to myself, this is no fun. I was convicted by my incessant complaining about the heat and the drought. St Jude’s is full of sick children and worried parents and I am upset because my garden is burning up. LORD forgive me!
The thoughts from today’s blog come from MERE CHRISTIANITY, Book IV, Chapter 7…”Lets Pretend.”
I hope you have a good day.