Images

With the growth of social media, images have become a huge thing to hang our hats on. Women (and men) spend a tremendous amount of money on certain types of makeup to make themselves look young or younger. Particle 61 is an anti-aging cream that supposedly takes off 20 years of wear and tear on our skin. When dealing with skin and our brains, age does kick in, and the end result is a different look than what we want many times. There is a cure for this aging process, but it connects with the inside of us more than the outside. Paul's encouragement to the church in Corinth was to keep going and not let age stop our forward motion. 2 Corinthians 4:¹⁶ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. My conclusion is that God keeps renewing me because of His Word and the Holy Spirit in my life. God sees the heart, and He works on the heart of every believer.

When choosing and anointing the king of Israel, Samuel went against human reasoning and image-related decisions and chose a boy named David. 2 Samuel 16:⁶ When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Don't fall into worldly reasoning by choosing a person for something by image only. The depth of a person is found at their core, and their calling and anointing are found there also, so do not bypass how God looks at each of us. This is why we must guard our hearts and keep our hearts in line with God's will at all costs. Proverbs 4:Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

After I turned 60 years old, many people would look at me differently because of my age, like I could die at any time. lol. Every day, I pray for God to use me beyond my age and keep my walk fresh and current, and He is doing that every day for me, no matter what others think. To devalue a person's value by using the outside as an example is how the woke movement took root. I don't want to have anything to do with superficial, judgmental people who are shallow at best. I will just continue to follow what God's Word tells me and keep current and keep going. Gravity will continue to make everything droop a little, but one day this gravity will be reversed, and we will fly high above this earth with Jesus our Savior as He raptures us out. We will be caught up and defy the gravity that presses down on us, and we will be FREE!!!

Until then, keep a current walk with God, and the only image people see is Jesus. Jesus is love, and in that love, we no longer judge or condemn others, but we allow them to soar on the wings of eagles and show that Jesus is our only hope. The love of Jesus is ageless. Praise the Lord. John 13:³⁴ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵ Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren