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August 28, 2006
Consistent Inside and Out
by Martha Cochran, Missionary to Japan
. . . for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart (I Samuel 16:7).
Some of my fondest memories from childhood are the times I spent visiting my grandmother, especially curling up with her in her ÒbigÓ double bed. Before we climbed in, though, we knelt together beside the bed and prayed. My grandmother would pray, and before the ÒAmenÓ she would always say, ÒOkay, Martha, letÕs say our verse togetherÓ. The verse was Psalm 19:14, ÒLet the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.Ó I realize now that the verse was rooted in my heart during those visits, and it has stayed with me over the years. It should be my daily prayer, as it was my grandmotherÕs, reminding me of the importance of a consistent Christian walk on the outside and also on the inside.
It seems like there are always surprises at my Nagareyama childrenÕs class, and last month was no exception. I rarely use flashcards at the class, because other teachers usually get to them before I do. That Sunday, though, I had found the flashcard packet on the life of Moses still in the visual aids drawer at church, and decided to use them for a change. I had recently taught the story of baby Moses at another class, so I was familiar with the pictures and thought I was all set. Imagine my shock twenty minutes before the class was to start when I looked in the packet and found all the stories EXCEPT the one I needed! Another teacher had indeed gotten to the packet first, and had taken out only the story she would need! It looked on the outside like everything was intact, but the inside was very different. I spent a frantic time getting flannel backgrounds and figures together before the children arrived. How important that the outside and the inside be the same!
In Japan there is a stick candy called ÒKintaro Ame (ah-me)Ó. It is like the hard candies at Christmas that look like orange or lemon slices, only in Japan a little boyÕs head is in the center. Wherever you cut the candy stick, KintaroÕs round face, black hair and slanted eyes can be seen. May our Christian lives be like Kintaro Ame, a consistent picture of Christ-likeness wherever we are cut, on the outside as well as on the inside...
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23, 24).
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