Elder Thaddeus (Strabulovich) of Vitovnica once stated: “One must love God first, and only then can one love one's closest of kin and neighbours. We must not be idols to one another, for such is not the will of God.”
Many of us have probably heard the names of Artemis, Ashtoreth, Baal, Chemosh and Molech, amongst others. These were notably false gods listed in biblical times who endeavoured to detract people from the one and only true God who is still present today. Satan can also be considered to perform similar functions in his opposition to the Lord. As a fallen angel of God, his strategy is for people to worship him instead.
Although in our modern-day times, the importance and functionality of these former gods have somewhat diminished, it is, unfortunately, a stark fact of life that they have undoubtedly been replaced by other, probably even worse, so-called idols which can be identified and related to our common everyday lives.
Scripture is strongly opposed to any form of adoration other than to the true God. We should never put our aims or desires in life before the wishes of the Lord. Colossians 3:5 states: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry."
Beauty, science and especially money, have been listed amongst many as possible prevalent replacements to the false gods or idols mentioned in Scripture. Matthew 6:24, in particular, contains an important reference towards money in that: "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
We have to remember that there is only one true God who loves us unconditionally, guides us and steers us on the path of righteousness to His greater glory. Through Him and only Him, we can achieve eternal life. Sadly, however, there are still some people who prefer to believe that science prevails over God.
If we consider the ten commandments which were the original statutes from God given to Moses to help us follow a life of goodness, the first and probably most important of them is: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:2-6)
Concerning the matter of beauty, 1 Samuel 16:7 states: But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
There was once a vain thinking man who portrayed that he had special qualities inherent from God and claimed to be a qualified beauty therapist. He surmised that certain females valued their outward appearance more than their inner. He deduced that much money was to be gained by an enterprise such as this, with little legislation to enforce the necessity of proper training, qualifications or a good understanding of skincare. He had rented a small shop in a local town as his base and advertised amazing skincare remedies to unsuspecting potential customers.
In practice, he had no formal qualifications or training in this particular subject. Neither did he have the blessing or approval of God. He was a complete novice with virtually no knowledge in this specialised field. He sincerely believed that the necessary skills would come naturally with experience. On the advice of a supposed friend, he was put in touch with a foreign-based dubious company who sold inferior special lotions and creams claiming to achieve remarkable effects on the skin. This included the removal of permanent skin blemishes and the high-quality toning and enhancement of the skin in general.
One of the local female residents in the town, a single woman in her forties, who had suffered from blemishes of her skin for many years, decided that a course of treatment could solve her predicament and beautify her appearance. Her condition had caused her to lose confidence and self-esteem and made her feel somewhat inferior to other females.
She approached the impious beautician to enquire about the total cost of this special therapy and also sought the assurance that this particular treatment would work. She was informed that the success was guaranteed and the cost would be £5000. It would take about one month to complete with regular sessions.
She agreed that it was a worth-while investment and underwent the required process which included the application of various creams and lotions to the specified areas requiring attention. Within two months of completing the treatment, she realised that the condition and blemishes of her skin were returning to their original state. She returned to the beauty parlour to complain but was informed that it was her poor skin condition that was causing the problem and nothing could be done about it. She would just have to accept it.
She spoke to close friends about her concerns who agreed that it appeared that she had been deceived and defrauded by this character and suggested that she sought legal advice concerning the relevant matter in hand.
A subsequent court hearing found in her favour and she was awarded damages to compensate for the disappointment and considerable failure in her treatment. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but in reality, is only skin deep. Proverbs 31:30 emphasises the words: "Beauty is fleeting." In truth, however, true beauty bestowed by God, is eternal and can only come from within.
Amen.
