A Lesson From a Heathen Artist

“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” (Luke 1:5, 6).

This is a beautiful thing which God said of this couple. Yet, after all, that is the test which every life must endure. It is not enough to have human commendation. The question is this: how do we stand before God? How does our life appear to Him? It does not matter how much men praise and commend us, if God sees that we are living wrongly. The Pharisees were righteous before men; but if you want to see how they stood in God’s eye, read the twenty-third chapter of Matthew: “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (verse 33)

We are, in reality, just what we are before God – nothing less and nothing more! The question we should always ask ourselves is, “What does God think of me?” If we wish to receive His approval, we must first have our hearts right; and then we must be blameless and upright in every part of our life.

One of the old heathen artists was chiseling the back part of his marble statue with great pains. “Why do you carve the tresses on the back of the head of your statue so carefully?” someone asked. “It will stand high in its niche against the wall, and no one will ever see its back.” “The gods will see it!” was the reply.

We should learn a lesson from this old heathen artist! We should do our work honestly in the place where it will be covered up and never seen by human eyes, just as much as in the place where it is to be open to the scrutiny of the world. Why? Because God will see it! We should live just as purely and beautifully in secret, as in the glare of the world’s gaze!

There really is no such thing as secrecy in this world. We imagine that no eye is looking at us when we are not in the presence of other people. But really, we always have a spectator – for we are living all our lives in the presence of God Himself! We should train ourselves, therefore, to live for the Divine eye in all that we do – so that our life may stand the Divine inspection, and so that we may have the approval and commendation of our Lord Himself!

“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13).

The words and actions that are said and done within the privacy of the four walls of our home are usually unseen and unheard by those who do not live in our house. But do we live our lives under the constant remembrance that our Lord’s eye is always upon us? How will this affect how you speak and interact with your family members today?

Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts on this article! Feel free to leave your reflections and ask your questions in the Comments section below.

God bless you and your family, this day and always.

All for the King’s glory,

Christian

photo © Serezniy | Megapixl.com

This post is another installment of Miller’s Monday Musings, a weekly series that is published every Monday on our website. The series features selected writings that have been adapted from the works of James Russell Miller (1840-1912), a much-beloved Christian author and pastor who is well-remembered for his practical thoughts on Christian home and family life. Learn more about this weekly series by clicking here.