The day started as usual, I was driving to my destination when I noticed out my window a really nice vehicle abandoned on the side  of the road. My first thought was ” what a really beautiful car, wonder what could be wrong with it?” From it’s outward appearance I could not imagine anything that would necessitate it being left on the side of the road without it’s driver.

It’s body had no blemishes, it’s paint job gleaming in the sunlight, and it’s wheels fully inflated.  I must admit this was not the first time I had seen a car on the side of the road, but; they usually have dings, signs of accidents, or signs of old age. Had this been the case I wouldn’t have given it any thought. As my day continued the thought of the car which had no outward appearance of defect periodically entered my thoughts.

I realized many of us are just like that car, what we show  the world on the outside doesn’t always reflect what’s going on within us.  We know we shouldn’t judge others by what we see, however; that is just what we do.  We judge things like clothing, hair, shoes, cleanliness, and smell.  If the person we see meets our expectations we assume the best about that person.  We tell our selves they must have a good job, home and family that loves them.

On the other hand when we see someone who is dirty, smelling and hair disarrayed we immediately think of them in a negative light. We assume them to be homeless, lazy, and without loved ones.  Of course we could be totally wrong on both accounts.  It’s the same for those of us who profess to be Christians; we put on our smiling faces when we greet each other, shake hands and hug, speak words of encouragement and offer help when needed.

We do the things we think others expect from us as Christ followers, unfortunately; some have not experienced a heart change.  The outward appearance is shiny but the inner man is still full of worldly influences. We all need a heart transplant if we would be like Christ.  All envy, malice, hate, lying,gossiping, combativeness and indifference must be removed from our characters.

We must allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of cleaning our lives and redefining our character into one which reflects Christ.  Our inner man must under go a radical transformation.  This is not a quick fix program; it will require a long term commitment to the Holy Spirits leading, total submission to God the Father, and to Jesus the Christ. This journey is for a lifetime, at the end of the journey those who have stayed the course will reap the rewards.

The love of the Father and the Son will radiate from our hearts like a beacon atop a hillside drawing all who bask in it to desire to know him for themselves.  The outward appearance and the inner man will be in harmony as the character of Christ develops on the soul.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.