Inside

     I recall on more than one occasion when I was growing up, Mom had put a large basket of Winesap apples on the kitchen table.  Those luscious looking deep red apples always caught my eye when I would go by.  I knew each time I saw them I would be tempted more than I could bear to take one and go out into the back yard and enjoy its delicious sweet flavor.

     This one particular time was no different than many others except this time I could resist no longer.  So, I took the apple and headed out to the backyard.  Along the way I made a swift turn in the kitchen so I could pick up the salt shaker.  That juice inside with a little salt sprinkled on it was going to be delicious.

     I sat in the swing in the backyard and got myself all prepared for that first anticipated bite.  Crunch!  I heard the skin of the apple go as my teeth sank deep inside.  Then when I pulled my lips back, I was horrified and deeply disappointed - - - a worm!

     The piece of apple fell from my lips and I began to spit out the juice as quickly as I could.  What a total surprise!  I never thought this was going to happen by the beautiful appearance presented by the outside of the apple in that basket.  But it just goes to show that you can’t always go by the outward appearance.  It’s what’s inside that truly counts!

     Sadly, many people are the same.  They may spend a small fortune to make themselves look good on the outside, but inside they are devious, deceitful, liars, and sometimes just plain wicked!  It’s very difficult to see beyond the outward veneer and determine what the REAL person is like.  Some are very professional about hiding what they are on the inside. 

     They may appear like Jesus said of the religious leaders of his day at Matthew 23:27: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you resemble whitewashed graves, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of every sort of uncleanness.”

         This is because of one inescapable fact that is also highlighted for us in the scriptures: “Out of the heart come wicked reasonings, murders, adulteries, sexual immorality, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.” [Matt 15:19] You can understand how these things would make even a physically beautiful person into a truly horrible individual.

         For some reason many people have the thinking that “beautiful” people do not do wrong things.  It’s only those who are “low-down” and “despicable” in appearance who are doing all the wrong things in the world.  In plain fact, they profile people into certain groups or categories depending upon the way they appear on the outside!

      Many years ago, I watched a television program where they recorded different individuals going into a supermarket and shop lifting in the plain sight of others.  This test was done to see how many of the customers would report those individuals to the management of the store.

     Some of the “thieves” were dressed in business suits or fashionable women’s outfits.  Others were dressed more like you would see an everyday person on the street, jeans, t-shirts, etc.  In almost every case the people dressed to “look” very respectful, prominent, or effluent, were NEVER turned in to management.  Almost ALL the others WERE!

      What did this test prove?  Most people only look at the outward appearance and never give consideration to the person one is on the inside. 

      Isn’t it nice to know that our Creator is not like that, but he sees what is in the heart and He can make decisions accordingly?  We may “beautify” our outsides and fool all the people around us.  We may even fool ourselves into thinking that we are a different person than we truly are.  But we cannot fool the one who sees all things as He looks at the inner person.  As hard as we try to improve ourselves, and we should!  We have to remember: We’re Only Human!

QUOTE TO CONSIDER

THOUGHTFUL GEM

"Who am I?

The person YOU see?

The person I want to be?

The person I truly am?"