Published by admin on 20 Sep 2019 at 12:02 pm
A WAX IMAGE
Have any of you ever been to a wax museum? That is where they have wax statues of famous people, and they look so real you’d swear they are alive. They are so perfectly prepared, the hair style is right, the facial expression is right, they eyes are bright, the skin tone is correct, the correct clothing, and everything is there except one thing: there’s no life. It’s just wax, an image of the real thing.
And while it’s possible to have a relationship with an animal or another person, it’s just not possible to have a relationship with a wax image. It LOOKS fine, and it may be the image of the person of your dreams, but it just cannot reciprocate your love and attention. But yet, some people are satisfied with a “wax image” relationship with God. Now, we cannot see God, the Bible says no man has seen Him, but we still probably have this mental image of what God looks like. But we can’t touch or hug that image, can we? And though we could touch or hug a wax statue, it can’t hug us or love us back. That leaves us with a missing ingredient: love coming back to us.
It is written in 1 John 4:10-21
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
So, if we can’t see God, nor give Him a hug, the next best thing is to do what He says, and to love our brethren, whom we CAN see and love. For we CAN both love and be loved of our brethren, and by doing so, we are BEING the image of our Father in heaven, and not just a wax image of what we think He looks like. A wax image just stands there and looks like what it was made to look like, it doesn’t have feelings, or speak, or breathe, or love or hate. It’s just there, unable to love or have a relationship with anyone.
If a person says they love God, but don’t love their brethren, how are they different than a wax image? A wax statue may look real good, but gives no comfort to a hurting person who is going through real problems. It can offer no prayers or counsel anyone. True, it won’t break any promises or criticize anyone, nor peak ill of them, but if we love someone, we won’t do that anyway.
Instead of just standing there looking good, we need to be there for each other, love one another, and pray for one another. And speaking of “wax”, Jesus had this to say in Matthew 24:4-13,
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
The Lord Jesus said “the love of many shall wax cold.” Now, when wax is warm, it’s conformable, moldable, and when love is warm, it’s conformable and moldable, and able to flow. But when it’s cold? It’s hard, unyielding, and I’m sure you know people like that. Jesus sure picked the right words when He put “love” and “wax” in the same sentence. We should strive to serve up our love WARM, and not COLD. Nobody needs a cold, dead, wax image. There are already plenty of “Pharisees” out there, cold and selfish, and religious.
People need the real thing; they need US to be like GOD. Yes, in these times we see the love of many wax cold, due to sin abounding all around us, and that’s all the more reason for GOD’S CHILDREN to be different. We need to be the image of our heavenly Father to this lost and dying world. Our love should wax warmer and warmer each day.
Hey, I know….if you take a cold piece of wax and stick a wick in it and light it, that makes it a candle. The heat created by lighting the wick not only melts the cold wax, but it gives off light to those around it. So if you find you’re a piece of cold wax, no problem. Just let Jesus make you into a candle and let Him give you His light to melt other cold hearts and give them light! Amen? You don’t have to be a wax image, you can be the real thing, and love on them!