Deceptive Facades

Read Proverbs 26

Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.

Proverbs 26:23

Proverbs can be illustrated by life experiences—some childhood lessons make a lasting impression.

A young man told the story of his father, a carpenter. When the young man was just a boy, his father and he were building a deck for a model home. The plans called for a hot tub in an enclosure on the deck, but the builder didn’t want to pay for a hot tub to just sit in a display home. So, they built an enclosure in the shape of a hot tub and fashioned a wooden lid to cover the opening. It looked like a hot tub, but there wasn’t actually one there. The redwood they used was beautiful, but ultimately it was of little worth. It was just a shell covering an empty space.

In the same way, we can pursue beautiful veneers in our lives that cover the coarseness of our cores. True godliness must penetrate every fiber of our being. It searches the recesses of our hearts and lays us bare before the Almighty.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Your externals need to accurately reflect your internals.

Today, Lord, show me my sin. Grant me a repentance that leads to refreshing (Acts 3:19-20). Take your truth to the core of my being.