The renowned Quaker scholar Rufus Jones was speaking of the importance of having a radiant countenance. After his address, a woman “with an almost unbelievably plain face” came up and asked him what he would do if he had a face like hers. He replied, “While I have troubles of my own of that kind, I’ve discovered that if you light it up from within, any old face you have is good enough.”

Strange isn’t, how sometimes a beautiful face can be a curse and a plain face can be a blessing.

Does the Bible address such things? Glad you asked.

Ecclesiastes 8:1 

Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

Proverbs 15:13

A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,

But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.

Putting on a little makeup could help your situation – that is, makeup with God.

Give it some thought.

Gary

“You’re Going to Miss This” is a song sung by Trace Atkins. This is one of those songs that brings regrets for a life that was constantly hurried through, an existence where there was seemingly not enough time to smell the roses, perhaps while chasing that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The concept is not new; we find it all through the Scriptures.

Ecclesiastes 1:2-4

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever. 

Psalm 144:4

Man is like a breath;
his days are like a passing shadow.

Take time to consider what God has given you before life slips through your fingers.

Gary

The sign says, “no trespassing,” but I know of people who ignored that sign and suffered the financial and embarrassing consequences. The question that comes to our mind is, “What were you thinking after you read that sign?”

The Scriptures are full of commandments – statements like that. However, learned individuals read those inspired words and just pass on like it doesn’t matter. Does the Bible address that phenomenon? Glad you asked.

Galatians 6:7-8 

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

James 4:17

Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

See the signs? Give it some consideration.

Gary

During one of his political campaigns, a delegation called on Theodore Roosevelt at his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island. The President met them with his coat off and his sleeves rolled up. “Ah, gentlemen,” he said, “come down to the barn and we will talk while I do some work.” At the barn, Roosevelt picked up a pitchfork and looked around for the hay. Then he called out, “John, where’s all the hay?”

“Sorry, sir,” John called down from the hayloft. “I ain’t had time to toss it back down again after you pitched it up while the Iowa folks were here.”

He was caught in a lie. Ted wasn’t the first president to have that happen and won’t be the last. How are you doing in the lie category?

Proverbs 19:5 

A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.

Proverbs 12:22 

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are His delight.

 Give it some thought the next time you’re trying to impress someone.

Gary

Smiles can hide pain. Case in point: Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He first became famous on the television show Mork and Mindy. He starred in many movies. However, the smiles were used to mask his pain.

Sadly, he took his life.

Life’s a brute and sometimes the ugliness of it can no longer be masked. Does the Bible address it? Glad you asked.

Job 14:1 

“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.

John 16:33 

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. 

Psalm 34:19 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Yea, life’s not always pleasant, but before it gets to be too much, spend time in the Word and share your state of mind with someone close, whom you can trust. God will make a way where there seems to be no way. Give it some consideration.

Gary

My wife was grading a science test at home that she had given to her elementary-school class and was reading some of the results to me. The subject was “The Human Body,” and the first question was: “Name one of the major functions of the skin.”  One child wrote: “To keep people who look at you from throwing up.”       – Contributed by Sam Jarrett, Reader’s Digest.

I know that is not very nice, but why did you smile? Wouldn’t you think that an omniscient God who sees everything would have that response? However, listen to how God sees us:

Isaiah 53:6

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Genesis 8:21

And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.”

In Christ we’re beautiful, for our sin is covered by His redemptive work at Calvary. Otherwise, the truth of who we really are is enough to make anyone regurgitate. Give it some thought.

Gary

Joe South could sure sing it back in 1958. The title was, “Walk a Mile in My Shoes.”

If I could be you, if you could be me
For just one hour
If we could find a way
To get inside each other’s mind

If you could see you through my eyes
Instead of your ego
I believe you’d be
Surprised to see
That you’ve been blind

Walk a mile in my shoes
Walk a mile in my shoes
And before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Walk a mile in my shoes

Does the Bible address this concept? Glad you asked.

John 7:24 

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

Romans 2:3 

Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?

Give it some thought.

Gary