Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3
If you lived in Charleston, WV before 1980 you will cognitively remember the old Diamond Department Store. The former Diamond was a seven story building downtown that employed up to about a thousand workers give or take during the holiday rush. Photos of The Diamond are rare, this is the only one I know of on the Internet. It was West Virginia's largest department store sort of reminiscent of a small scale Macy's in New York City. When you watch the classic holiday movie "Miracle On 34th Street" you sort of get the idea of what it was like. Retail fashion life in Charleston revolved around The Diamond. If you wanted to get something nice, have a big shopping trip, eat lunch, see the Christmas glitter and glamour, then The Diamond is where you went. Being from a small town, when I would go to Charleston (the big city for me) my first look at stuff like Escalators, huge clothes displays, something called a Mezzanine, elevators that had operators in them (anybody remember that??) all had its roots in that store. Kids were drawn there because the top floor was touted as "Santa Land" during Christmas. Trains, planes, whatever the toy fancy was back then could be found there. I say all that to say people were attracted to the store for what was on the inside.
We are very attracted to what we find to be genuinely inside. Actually, for an art deco style building, The Diamond wasn't immensely beautiful on the outside. It had a many small show windows, but no real defining architecture. It was big and tall, but outwardly not remarkable. This describes what we as Christians are like to many people we meet. Outwardly, we may not be the most handsome or beautiful, but folks should be attracted to us for what they find inside pouring out of us. I can't remember too many people standing outside The Diamond exclaiming how much they enjoyed shopping there, that was reserved for the inside, for there was the attraction. Granted the first things drew in outside shoppers were the things on display in the windows. In our Christian lives we need to have on display the work of Christ. That should be some of the following:
Next, we as believers in Christ need to provide a welcome and friendly response to those outside the Faith. Whether you could afford to shop there or not, on a cold winter day, The Diamond was a nice place to come in and be warmed. The lunch counter upstairs served hot soup and other things to help bite the chill of the air. Christians likewise need to be hospitable to unsaved folks as well as to some of our own brethren. This sounds like a no-brainer but it is often difficult due to social upbringings, church teachings, and other formative values. I struggle with these issues as much as anyone of you do. The point is that even though we struggle, we are to be making positive progress towards hospitality. This is an area in which my church really strives in. The church even has a "Hospitality Team" that does so much to make newcomers and everyone else feel welcome. If folks look at our lives and judge Christ by our own actions, what does that say for the job evangelism is doing? The fact is we show others how we want Christ to be shown. Christ Himself does not change and conform to what we want Him to be, but to a person who knows nothing of Christ, then our image in their mind equals His image. Therefore it behooves us to be our best for this reason. Do others see your life as at the very least approachable, kind, and hospitable? Is there anything that makes them want to come to your church by what they observe its members doing?
Lastly, though whatever happens to our outward person, out inner person must not go into decline. My facts may be a bit off, but The Diamond was open from about 1903 to 1983. The building was getting harder to take care of and there was something new in town--a mall--namely the current Town Center Mall. The Town Center had a multitude of stores, more eating places, more open environment and The Diamond sort of faded into the shadows. Now a days you can drive past the old building and it looks the same as it did years ago, but inside the story is much different. The building is now completely renovated and holds nothing of its former glory. It is now State of West Virginia government offices. This sad change, in my opinion, is what happens when Christians begin to lose sight of their God, begin to fall into worldly carnality, and dabble in practices un-befitting to a believer. In fact we can let our lives stray from the Lord that we become unattractive to everyone. We no longer are a show window of what God is doing, because we don't let it be known. We no longer have an inviting spirit because there is not much in us that is cheery or lively. We don't even have much impact because we have let some other course of life hinder our testimony. Spiritual decline is rampant. It doesn't mean that we are lost all over again, but it does mean that we are not pleasing God and that we are not actively helping to advance His Kingdom. What a contrast to what He desires of us! When we see the signs of our spiritual decline we must:
The outer Diamond building still stands, but it is what was inside, the inner Diamond, that attracted. Let's ask God to help us this week to be that inner attraction that will lead others to Himself and glorify Him.
Father thank you that you love us when we were unlovable. Thank you that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, making us better than we ever could be ourselves. Help us Lord not to lose sight of the attractiveness of Christ in our hearts and lives. Help us to reach out to people and show them directly or indirectly that there is a difference in knowing you. When our lives decline due to sin that is all around us, lovingly bring us back to the point of restoration so that we may sparkle as diamonds do. Thank you for loving us and helping us, in your Name. Amen.
If you lived in Charleston, WV before 1980 you will cognitively remember the old Diamond Department Store. The former Diamond was a seven story building downtown that employed up to about a thousand workers give or take during the holiday rush. Photos of The Diamond are rare, this is the only one I know of on the Internet. It was West Virginia's largest department store sort of reminiscent of a small scale Macy's in New York City. When you watch the classic holiday movie "Miracle On 34th Street" you sort of get the idea of what it was like. Retail fashion life in Charleston revolved around The Diamond. If you wanted to get something nice, have a big shopping trip, eat lunch, see the Christmas glitter and glamour, then The Diamond is where you went. Being from a small town, when I would go to Charleston (the big city for me) my first look at stuff like Escalators, huge clothes displays, something called a Mezzanine, elevators that had operators in them (anybody remember that??) all had its roots in that store. Kids were drawn there because the top floor was touted as "Santa Land" during Christmas. Trains, planes, whatever the toy fancy was back then could be found there. I say all that to say people were attracted to the store for what was on the inside.
We are very attracted to what we find to be genuinely inside. Actually, for an art deco style building, The Diamond wasn't immensely beautiful on the outside. It had a many small show windows, but no real defining architecture. It was big and tall, but outwardly not remarkable. This describes what we as Christians are like to many people we meet. Outwardly, we may not be the most handsome or beautiful, but folks should be attracted to us for what they find inside pouring out of us. I can't remember too many people standing outside The Diamond exclaiming how much they enjoyed shopping there, that was reserved for the inside, for there was the attraction. Granted the first things drew in outside shoppers were the things on display in the windows. In our Christian lives we need to have on display the work of Christ. That should be some of the following:
- Life that is different in attitudes and values than what the world proclaims
- A spirit that is meek towards others and serving as well
- Desire to share openly with others what Christ has done
- A peace and joy that transcends what this world has to offer
- Sense of love for fellow believers and a song of praises to God on your lips
Next, we as believers in Christ need to provide a welcome and friendly response to those outside the Faith. Whether you could afford to shop there or not, on a cold winter day, The Diamond was a nice place to come in and be warmed. The lunch counter upstairs served hot soup and other things to help bite the chill of the air. Christians likewise need to be hospitable to unsaved folks as well as to some of our own brethren. This sounds like a no-brainer but it is often difficult due to social upbringings, church teachings, and other formative values. I struggle with these issues as much as anyone of you do. The point is that even though we struggle, we are to be making positive progress towards hospitality. This is an area in which my church really strives in. The church even has a "Hospitality Team" that does so much to make newcomers and everyone else feel welcome. If folks look at our lives and judge Christ by our own actions, what does that say for the job evangelism is doing? The fact is we show others how we want Christ to be shown. Christ Himself does not change and conform to what we want Him to be, but to a person who knows nothing of Christ, then our image in their mind equals His image. Therefore it behooves us to be our best for this reason. Do others see your life as at the very least approachable, kind, and hospitable? Is there anything that makes them want to come to your church by what they observe its members doing?
Lastly, though whatever happens to our outward person, out inner person must not go into decline. My facts may be a bit off, but The Diamond was open from about 1903 to 1983. The building was getting harder to take care of and there was something new in town--a mall--namely the current Town Center Mall. The Town Center had a multitude of stores, more eating places, more open environment and The Diamond sort of faded into the shadows. Now a days you can drive past the old building and it looks the same as it did years ago, but inside the story is much different. The building is now completely renovated and holds nothing of its former glory. It is now State of West Virginia government offices. This sad change, in my opinion, is what happens when Christians begin to lose sight of their God, begin to fall into worldly carnality, and dabble in practices un-befitting to a believer. In fact we can let our lives stray from the Lord that we become unattractive to everyone. We no longer are a show window of what God is doing, because we don't let it be known. We no longer have an inviting spirit because there is not much in us that is cheery or lively. We don't even have much impact because we have let some other course of life hinder our testimony. Spiritual decline is rampant. It doesn't mean that we are lost all over again, but it does mean that we are not pleasing God and that we are not actively helping to advance His Kingdom. What a contrast to what He desires of us! When we see the signs of our spiritual decline we must:
- Pray for a fresh desire to please and serve God
- Ask God to forgive our selfish behavior
- Look for new ways to increase our awareness of His service
The outer Diamond building still stands, but it is what was inside, the inner Diamond, that attracted. Let's ask God to help us this week to be that inner attraction that will lead others to Himself and glorify Him.
Father thank you that you love us when we were unlovable. Thank you that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, making us better than we ever could be ourselves. Help us Lord not to lose sight of the attractiveness of Christ in our hearts and lives. Help us to reach out to people and show them directly or indirectly that there is a difference in knowing you. When our lives decline due to sin that is all around us, lovingly bring us back to the point of restoration so that we may sparkle as diamonds do. Thank you for loving us and helping us, in your Name. Amen.
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