Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
How many times do men broadcast their love for Jesus with a “fish” symbol on their business card and then proceed to trade in a dishonorable way? In this country, people are particularly wary around those who “wear their faith on their sleeve.” We are hardly surprised anymore to learn that the weepy television evangelist with his gushy words about Jesus is picking up prostitutes in his off hours or skimming a little extra out of the church offerings. We practically expect the big pop music stars who sing fervently about their love for Christ to announce their next illegitimate divorce or their endorsements of homosexuality.
It is important to knock the watermelon to assess its integrity. Or you may scrape the surface of the silver vase a bit to make sure there is something besides a thin coat of silver plating over it. Be careful not to assess the character of a man by mere appearances. In assessing the character of Jesse’s sons, God advised Samuel to look upon the heart. “But the LORD said unto Samuel, ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart’” (1 Sam. 16:7).
When you base your assessments on superficial conditions, you betray your own superficiality. Superficial people attract other superficial people. Thus, it is usually wise not to over-commit yourself to an acquaintance, a business partner, a musical genre, or a spiritual leader until you have followed them for awhile. Test the quality of the faith they profess. How would they hold up under temptation to compromise? Do they handle power and money without corrupting themselves? As you assess their behavior over the long run, you will begin to determine the true nature of the heart.
1. What are the signs of superficiality?
2. How do we avoid superficiality ourselves?