Jump Start # 3429

2 Timothy 3:5 “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied it’s power; and avoid such men as these.”

Matthew 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

In Paul’s letters to Timothy, the apostle would warn the young preacher about the last days. They were going to be difficult. Some would hold to a form of godliness, but they would deny it’s power. Timothy was to steer clear of such people.

Our verse today, spoken by our Lord, reminds us that appearances can be deceiving. Things may look good when they are not. Hiding among the flock, disguised as a sheep, is a wolf. He’s the false prophet who is trying to get an advantage over others. His intention is to devour the sheep. Wolves eat sheep. Wolves and sheep are not friends.

There are layers of lessons to be learned here, especially from the leaders of God’s people. They have to be on the watch. The congregation from 32,000 feet may seem to be at peace, but down on ground level, things can look much differently.

Both of these passages remind us that things are often not the way they appear. And, that’s something that is hard to understand.

Years ago, when my wife and I were first married, we were young, in love and poor as dirt. We had good friends just like us, young, in love and poor. He worked at a place that developed advanced electronic systems for cars. One weekend he was able to get a top of the line Cadillac to drive. They allowed engineers to try out what was being worked on. So, the two couples headed to Lexington, Ky for the weekend. We really didn’t know what we were doing and we didn’t have hardly any money between us, but we didn’t care. As we were driving among the many beautiful horse farms around Paris, KY, we randomly pulled into one. We knew nothing about horses, horse farms or really where we were at. The guard at the gate stopped us and wanted to know what we wanted. We told him that we came to look at horses. He looked at us and he looked at the car we were driving and he told us to go on back to the horse barns. He must have thought with the car we were driving that we were in the market to buy a horse. We looked around that beautiful place, saw stables that were lined with English walnut and had massive chandlers hanging in them.

There was one pasture, fenced off, maybe a couple of acres in size that had one thoroughbred grazing in it. We walked up to the fence and the horse came up to us. As we were looking at that beautiful horse, a workhand walked over and informed us that Secretariat was not for sale. It WAS the amazing Secretariat, record holding, triple crown winner. We took pictures and told ourselves that we needed to get out of there before some discovers that we didn’t have enough money for a Happy Meal.

And, all of this reminds us of some valuable spiritual lessons:

First, it’s easy to be swayed by appearances. That false prophet that Jesus warned about didn’t look like a wolf, but it was. Some can talk a good story, but when it comes down to truly being a disciple of Jesus with a servant heart, it doesn’t take much until the truth is known. Some are quick to point out what others ought to be doing, while they do very little themselves.

The poor widow who put in a couple of mites into the treasury likely didn’t look like much. She wouldn’t have been dressed like the rich ones. Yet Jesus praised her for what she gave. Peter reminds wives, as they braided their hair and put on dresses, to not forget about the heart. We can look good on the outside, while we harbor resentment, bitterness and hatred towards others.

Don’t be fooled by the outside. It’s the inside that reveals what is true.

Second, there are certain qualities in life that just can’t be disguised. Kindness and forgiveness are hard to manifest if they are not genuine. Sometimes a person will act kindly, with the motive of getting something in return, but that’s quickly seen. The heart of a servant cares about the wellbeing of the person he is serving. He is not interested in anything else. Humbleness and love drive what he does. And, underlying all of us is our love for the Lord. One can sing great hymns in church, but his character shows his true colors.

Third, we must not judge one another simply by the exteriors that we see. James warned about favoring the rich man while ignoring the poor man. You can’t do that. That simple guy who works long hours with his hands, never went to college, and lives in very humble circumstances may be the one who says the best prayers. His faith may be the strongest faith of anyone. College degrees impress us and opens doors, but it’s the heart that trusts and believes that the Lord notices. Congregations must be careful about selecting only successful businessmen as shepherds in the congregation. That can be a disaster because they might run the church like they run a business. The two are not the same. What needs to be looked at is the heart and faith of someone who is willing to serve in the kingdom.

A poor guy got to see Secretariat up close. Things are not always as they seem.

Roger