IMAGE AIN’T EVERYTHING
Proverbs 12:9 NKJV
9 Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant,
Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.
Forgive my poor grammar. The title of this devotional is a direct contrast to a perception that is prevalent in our society. A number of years ago, “Image Is Everything” was the marketing slogan of a camera company. The company hired a popular tennis player who was known for his good game and his long, flowing blonde locks. Later, it was discovered that this tennis player was actually bald, and the long flowing locks were a hairpiece. But it certainly was in keeping with the slogan of image is everything.
Our verse for today is the opposite of image is everything. The contrast is made between a man who is slighted and a man who honors himself. The word slighted means lightly esteemed. So we have the picture of a man who is not considered a big deal by other people. Maybe this man is the kind of person that we say flies under the radar. Not well known, not famous. Not many social media followers. But he has a servant. In other words, he is doing well and not struggling to survive. He has someone working for him, indicating that he is financially in a good position, but no one sees that.
The man with the servant is contrasted with the man who talks a good game but cannot back it up. In Texas, we say he is all hat and no cattle. He honors himself, makes himself look like he has it all going on. But this is the guy who can’t even put food on his table. He may have a lot of social media followers, but it’s an illusion. He does not have the life to back up his words.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-16 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?” Jesus was warning about those who talked one thing but had wrong motives. You will know them by their fruits, what they produce in their lives, not by their words and image. Of course, false prophets are more dangerous than the person who is all image and no fruit, but the principle is the same.
APPLICATION
If you have ever done the hiring for your organization, you know the dangers of only looking at a resume and being swayed by an interview. There are too many stories of people who completely fabricated their resumes and exaggerated their accomplishments. I have made that mistake. It is easy to be swayed by a person who is an expert at selling themselves. But what is the fruit of their lives? What have they produced? Fruit is greater than image.
Also, it is perfectly fine to have a solid life and not be famous. Maybe no one knows who you are, but the Lord has blessed you, and your life is on the right trajectory. And when it’s all said and done it’s before the Lord that we ultimately stand. We want Him to be pleased. He sees the truth and is the only righteous judge.