Issue 855 – Icy Cool – February 15, 2022

I snapped this picture of these penguins at a local thrift shop because my eldest grandson loves penguins. I would have considered buying them if he didn’t live halfway across the country. Instead, I simply sent him a picture.

The designer made these birds to look as if they were very stylish and impressed with themselves. They were cool, hip, happening birds out on the town showing the world just how good-looking and impressive they were. That description might tell you how old I am. Today they might be high key, thick, and lit (no doubt those are dated terms too).

Of course, it’s a fun parody because penguins don’t dress up and go out on the town. It works because, at some level, we can all relate. All of us have had moments when we were impressed with ourselves and thought others should be as well.

Perhaps not in the same way, but self-importance resonates with us to some degree.

For most people, their self-image comprises two components, what the world tells them and what their experience has been. The world tells us how to be successful and how to dress. It bombards us with its twisted vision of attractiveness and style.

By the world’s standards, each of us may be successful and stylish or not. In our desire to be loved and accepted, we tend to bend towards the image or consciously rebel against it.

Drive by your local high school and see how each little group mirrors itself. All the members of the little group will tend to dress and act alike.

It isn’t just a high school thing. Walk into your local church and see how homogeneous they tend to be. Certainly, not in every case, I am painting with broad strokes and generalizing, but I suspect you have observed it yourself.

The problem is that the world’s standards constantly change and promote self-focus rather than love and humility. 

What should our standards be? We all know that they should be what God’s Word tells us, but the media and the culture around us often speak more loudly than God’s Word. I confess that too often I am there, and I suspect most people reading this are as well.

We need to find our identity in Christ. he is the one who has loved us before we were ever conceived, died for us and will love us eternally. He is the perfect judge, and ultimately it is Him we are answerable to.

The scriptures tell us, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

We don’t need to impress others. We can (with the Spirit’s help) walk humbly as God’s workmanship, faithful and obedient servants.

Praise God that He made us and loves us. He loves us so much that He takes us where we are and shapes us into the image of Jesus.

Be blessed

Hallelu Yah

Praise God

Kevin

Gleanings From The Word

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).

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