WATCHWORD:
16-17 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 The Message
16 So stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, merely as a human being like myself. How differently I feel now! 17 When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 The Living Bible
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 English Standard Version
Meditation:
Not in the Flesh
The man had applied for a highly sensitive position in human relations. He had now reached the point in the interview, where he had been told that this was very important. The curtain in front of him, parted, revealing a man sitting in a chair. He was then asked to describe the man.
“Can I ask him some questions?” No, just describe him. “Well, he has brown hair, streaked with grey, and he appears to have brown eyes. He has a pleasant non-threatening smile, appears to be in his mid-40s. I would guess from the smile lines that he probably has a pleasant personality.” Anything else you would notice? “Well, I would guess he is short in stature, and apparently, he can hear me because he smiled at some of the comments I’ve made. That is about it.” Nothing else? “No.” Nothing strikes you as concerning? “No. not really. I suppose I could tell you that he has no arms or legs.”
No arms or legs? Should that have been mentioned first? It was the most obvious. Maybe he was distracted by the setting. Had all that been part of the interview? Of course.
People who had known Jesus well, over three or more years, did not recognize Him after the Resurrection. He had become a new person.
Pastor Robert Morris tells of showing his daughter’s wedding pictures to a new acquaintance, who said with some shock, “He’s black!” To which Morris said, “What! He never told me!”
Are we ‘color-blind’? Shouldn’t we be? Why do we too often lead with ethnicity?
Over the years, I have had conversations with a friend of mine on a whole range of Christian related topics, including the tendency of people to respond to characteristics of the flesh; you know, ethnicity, gender, age, appearance, their weight. In this current state of affairs in our nation, we might be tempted to throw in political leanings. It is hard to describe a person, their inner quality, what we have observed about their character, without touching on those points, unless you know him/her well. Does your skin color define you?
For the past year or so the house next to my friend was vacant, and the property not taken care of. When I visited, recently, she told me that a young family had moved in, and they had a little boy about four years old and a friendly dog. I could see that the new family had started to take care of the property, and so I was happy for my friend. Later, I realized she had failed to mention the ethnicity of the family, and, instead, emphasized qualities that she could observe: their friendliness, pleasant smiles, etc.
Jesus tells us not to regard others in the flesh, but to look inward, at their quality. What was there about Jesus that his own mother did not recognize him until he spoke? Christ’s death, which paid for all of our sins who believe in Him, resulted in a drastic change. Paul insists we look at every single person from a different perspective. Instead of looking at the outer appearance, the important question to be answered is spiritual. The value of a person is not found in physical things or worldly wealth or outer appearance. What is within, that is what counts.
Stan Escott, white man, is not who I am. What I do, writing devotionals and stuff, is not who I am. I would hope that I would not be judged, but, if I am, I hope it is on my relationship with Jesus. That is who I try to be.
What is the dominant characteristic of the group that I meet with for Bible study? Yes, it’s a group of men, but that’s not it. Yes, we’re getting up in age, but that’s not it. Yes, we respect one another, but that’s not it, either. The dominant characteristic is that we love Jesus, and try to follow him, throughout our lives, and that carries over into the group discussion. That is the dominate characteristic, as I see it.
That would be my hope for all of us; following Christ throughout our lives and into our relationship with all our ‘neighbors’. Amen.
A Prayer for Guidance:
Lord Jesus, we are so grateful that You loved us enough to endure the cost of sin. You gave Your life so that we might have eternal life, and You rescued our souls from certain death. Lord rise up, and deliver us from the evil that is within. Lend us the courage to run to You when attempted to judge others by outside appearance. We seek to remain in You Lord Jesus, and we trust in Your mighty grip on us that will never let go. We praise You! Who else can deliver us? Who else can perfectly know us. We sincerely offer these prayers, Lord, with great gratitude for the blessings that have already filled our lives. Amen.
