#image is nothing

[tvneon]

[pommestudio]

Имидж - ничто, жажда - всё...

Image is nothing, thirst is everything.

[godfatherofsol]

Excuse me, excuse me... Wh-what's my motivation here??

[popsixsquishcicerolipschitz]

Sprite's 90's "Image is Nothing" Commercials

[rapturous-etiquette]

Today

[thejourneybacktogod]

Day 70 - "Image Is Nothing"

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.”  Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah. - 1 Samuel 16:2-13

We live in a world where image means a whole lot to society. What we wear, how we look and even how we interact tells whether or not we are important in society. A person's appearance plays such an integral role that individuals do all manner of things to their body to change how they look to be accepted by a group of people or someone specific. Individuals no longer see the unique beauty God had created them with so instead they choose to alter to fit society's norm creating a bunch of "perfect" mannequins - beautiful on the outside but hollow on the inside. Samuel in the passage was given the task to anoint the new King of Israel who would come from the family of Jesse. At first Samuel looked at Eliab and thought surely this has to be the man God wants me to anoint. However God quickly spoke to Samuel telling him that Eliab wasn't the one. God told Samuel do not consider his appearance or his height for He had rejected him. In verse 7 God further declares, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." It was not until the last son - David - did God confirm who was to be anointed. Further on in the bible David was described as a man after God's own heart. After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ - Acts 13:22

We live in a world caught up with image and appearance and we too can find ourselves sucked into this hole. We too as Christians can become so consumed with how we look that we forget the very state of our hearts. In God's eyes image is nothing but the heart is everything. The Pharisees had this similar problem as they spent too much time keeping up appearance instead of dealing with the matter of their hearts. Luke 16:15a says, "He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts." And another verse says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean." - Matthew 23:27. The simple reminder today is for us to not get caught up in keeping up appearance rather for us to maintain the state of our heart - clean and pure. So like David we too can be described as a person after God's own heart.