The Stage of Duty

How easily people can be fooled!  I saw a clip recently of a celebrity chef who asked a couple of young and unknown chefs to make a few dishes.  The famous chef brought out the dishes as if he cooked them himself, and the restaurant owners were full of praise for the beautifully presented and prepared food.  After they heaped lavish praise on the celebrity chef, who obviously was the real deal because they had sampled his fares themselves, he revealed he was not responsible for the delectable food they enjoyed:  it was their own staff they imagined to be the weak link in their establishment.  The employers hid their embarrassment very well, having been made to eat humble pie in public.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.  God is intimately acquainted with what we cannot see or know, for the motives of others are hidden from our eyes.  On several occasions circumstances have laid this bare for me, for I too have been mislead.  I am still learning the difficult lesson of rejoicing in the LORD rather than in a person's apparent maturity or growth in grace, for people are not always whom they seem to be.  Samuel was ready to anoint Eliab as king over Israel for his regal bearing yet God had refused him, and to seek the LORD and heed His guidance is wise.

William Gurnall wrote concerning his observations of others in their dealings with personal sin:

"Is Satan divided?  Will the devil within fight against the devil without?  Satan in the heart shut out Satan at the door?  Sometimes indeed there appears a scuffle between Satan and a carnal heart, but is a mere cheat, like the fighting of two fencers on a stage.  You would think at first they were in earnest, but observing how wary they are, [and] where they hit one another, you may soon know they do not mean to kill; and that which puts all out of doubt, when the prize is done you shall see them making merry together with what they have got of their spectators, which was all they fought for.  When a carnal heart makes the greatest bustle against sin by complaining of it, or praying against it, follow him but off the stage of duty, where he hath gained the reputation of a saint--the prize he fights for--and you shall see them sit as friendly together in a corner as ever." (Gurnall, William. The Christian in Complete Armour. Banner of Truth Trust, 1987. pages 49-50)

I have witnessed this sort of thing in sport when games feature rival teams with a long, bitter history.  It happens even after international tests:  the athletes playing for their country leave everything out on the field and after the game shake hands, embrace and head off to the pub for pints.  They probably are invited to each other's weddings and birthday parties.  No one enjoys losing a game, yet the players do enjoy the camaraderie between their fellow athletes.  They know there will be another game and at the next opportunity seek to win on the international stage.  If this is our approach towards temptation and sin, we ought not be surprised when we are soundly beaten by it.  Since Jesus died to free us from the curse and power and sin, we ought to see it as a life and death struggle--not a friendly match but the real thing that counts.  We can be the one deceived about the intentions of someone else who only fights to gain the reputation as a believer, and we can be that carnal person too.

It may be the humble pie those restaurant owners ate was the first step in improving their business and relations with their crew, and it all could have been played up for the cameras as a cheat.  Regardless, it is good for us to examine our own hearts as we look to the LORD, knowing He looks upon the heart.  In a world where reality TV has directors, producers and demographics they aim for and cater to, let us humble our hearts before God in faith off the stage of duty, choosing to put sin revealed in our lives to death because Jesus died so we could live, receive His love, forgiveness and salvation.