A deacon was asked by his pastor to pick up the visiting speaker at the airport. He waited patiently looking at each traveler as they came to claim their luggage. Finally, he noticed a gentleman wearing a dark blue suit, carrying a briefcase. He walked up to him and asked, “Are you the pastor who is to speak at Calvary Baptist Church? You look like a minister to me.”
The man replied, “No, I am afraid it is my arthritis that makes me look like this.”
Isn’t it sad that people seem to associate gloom and doom to ministers of the Gospel and not joy, happiness and gladness. One thing that should be a sign of a Christian is joy and victory on the their faces. We have been freed from the penalty and power of sin. We know Jesus Christ as our Savior, and Satan no longer has control in our lives. This should put a smile on our faces and thankfulness in our hearts.
Two wonderful verses speak to the difference Jesus Christ makes on our faces. Psalm 34:5 says, “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” The joy in our salvation and Jesus causes the inner joy to bubble over and reveal it in our eyes and faces. Then Ecclesiastes 8:1 tells us, “A man’s wisdom makes his face shine and the hardness of his face is changed.” The wisdom and knowledge of God transforms a person’s life and face.
Oliver Wendell Holmes confessed, “I might have been a pastor for all I know, if a certain clergyman had not looked and talked like an undertaker.” The Bible does not tell us to go around with a long, unsmiling face for the end is near. Rather, “Serve the Lord with gladness, come before His presence with sining (Psalm 100:2). Take a good look in the mirror. Does your face radiate a good testimony for Jesus Christ?
“You don’t have to tell how you live each day, you don’t have to say if you work or pray, A tried, true barometer serves in its place: However you like, it will show on your face!” — Anonymous
