Today's Devotional

September 1, 2004

Subject:  Cosmetics Are For The Outside 

Matthew 23:27 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."

I haven't seen the show but evidently there is a new TV series called "Nip and Tuck."  It's about a group of doctors who perform plastic surgery.  Somebody was telling me about the show and how people come in with lots of personal issues and they attempt to get them fixed by undergoing plastic surgery.   Plastic surgery seems to be a big hit these days in all parts of our society, no pun intended.  Whether it's some woman who thinks her chest isn't large enough or some man who wants a new nose, everybody seems to want to change something about their appearance.

The sad part about most of this is that many people attempt to make these external or outward changes to fix an internal or inward problem.  I understand how great you can feel when you have on a new suit or a new pair of shoes and you know you're looking good, but people who don't feel good about themselves aren't going to get that fixed because they look differently on the outside.  The only thing they will get is the approval of man, perhaps more compliments on their external, but no help for the inward problem that they started out with. 

The Pharisees had this attitude.  They appeared outwardly holy and righteous but inside, they were ugly and unclean.  They sought the approval of man and walked around "looking good."   

Cosmetic surgery in this day and age is as easy and accessible as a new haircut.  If the "new haircut" is done because one likes the look then that's fine, but remember that cosmetics are for the outside.  If you want to fix the inside, you need an "Internist."   

Carlen