Admiration.
It’s about looking up to someone who seems better than we are. We respect them, want to be like them, and copy them in every possible way.
Sometimes when we shouldn’t.
Our neighbor down the street seems imminently successful. How does she do it? Is it her haircut, the business suits she wears, or the luxury car she drives? Maybe it’s her personality, her outgoing manner that’s warm and likeable.
Whatever it is, we want it. Do we search for Christ in her life before we begin to model ourselves after her? Her parties, what refreshments does she serve? What deals are cut over drinks around the fire? Are we modeling ourselves after Christ or after the world?
If we want to know success, we need only look to God. Isaiah 45:14 tells us:
“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.’ ”
The children of Israel felt robbed by the nations who surrounded them. Essentially, they looked down the street, saw successful neighbors, and wanted the benefits they enjoyed. This passage cautions God’s people not to be like the world, but rather to follow after God. When our hearts are set on the Master, we will become the object of the world’s envy. We won’t need to copy them to achieve success in this life. The broken people of the world will flow to us, find Christ in what we do, and seek their success in him.
Our Lord is the only true measure of success. He upholds a standard of excellence that’s admirable in every way. When we pattern our actions after him, we become an object of admiration for the world to envy.
Painting Christ on our hearts puts Christ in our actions, allowing God to be triumphant through every moment of our day.
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Code: FGO.I.26.16.vp.esv