Over the past 20 odd years of writing weekly editorials I’ve used a lot of unusual combinations of things to help illustrate spiritual lessons. Perhaps today’s combination may just be the most unusual though. And please don’t ask me how my mind conjures up these “things” because I have no answer for that question except to say – it just does. With that caveat, here’s today’s combination lesson.
Our lesson will be derived from two things – cowboys and computers. I told you it would be unusual, perhaps bordering on odd. But, nevertheless, we’ll try and make this work.
As to the “cowboy” aspect of our illustration, I’m recalling an old cowboy lament by the title of “The Streets of Laredo.” You remember that old song about “walking out in the streets of Laredo” and seeing a “young cowboy all dressed in white linen.” That’s the original version, but I’m going to use a parody sung by the Smothers Brothers and in their version they sang: “You can see by my outfit that I am a cowboy. I can see by your outfit that you’re a cowboy too. You can see by our outfits that we are both cowboys. Go out and get an outfit and be a cowboy too.”
Here’s the point of using that illustration. Cowboys are recognized by their appearance – their “outfits.” They recognize each other as being cowboys by the way that they dress. Everyone else can recognize a cowboy by the way he dresses. Now I’m talking about “real cowboys” here and not what my daddy used to call “drugstore cowboys.”
I’d like to substitute a different word for the word “cowboy” and the word “outfit” and I think you’ll be able to better see the gist of my lesson today. Let’s substitute the word “Christian” for the word “cowboy” and the word “fruits” for “outfits” and go from there and it’s really a pretty simple thought.
Christians recognize other Christians by their appearance seen in their “fruits.” I’m referring to the “fruits” described by Christ in Matt. 7:20 where He says, “Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.” These “fruits” are further identified by the Apostle Paul in Phil. 1:ll in these words: “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Looking at those passages, and adding James 3:17 to the list, don’t you agree that the “outfits” of Christians are their “fruits?”
Back to the “drugstore” type for a moment. You know, anyone can go buy cowboy clothes and dress up in them and pretend they’re a cowboy, can’t they? Maybe make other people think that they’re real cowboys when really and truly they’re not. If these “cowboys” lived in ancient Greece, the word “drugstore” would be “hypocrite.”
Yes, Christians should easily be recognized for what they are and profess to be by their “outfits.” And those “outfits” should serve to reflect “unto the glory and praise of God.” If they don’t, our “outfits” are in dire need of repair, so to speak.
By now you’re probably wondering how “cowboys” are going to fit in with “computers” and where the lesson is going from there. It’s going this-a-way pardner. I’m going to tie our “outfits” into the common, computerese acronym WYSIWYG (pronounced wizzy-wig).
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For a Biblical example of a WYSIWYG we have only to look as far as John 1:47 where we find Nathaniel meeting Jesus for the first time and Christ describing him as being “… an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” In other words, Nathaniel could be recognized as being a person who was exactly what he appeared to be. A person who possessed no “guile” or “deceit.” Or, as I said it, a WYSIWYG.
The Bible has other words in it that relate to the word “guile” with some of them being “dissimulation” and “hypocrisy.” Both of them simply mean that you’re appearing to be someone you’re not. Or, said another way, a person pretending to be someone other than who they really are.
Okay, let’s boil this lesson down. What kind of “outfit” are we wearing? You know the world is constantly looking at our “outfits” and as they do so, what are they seeing? Are we truly a “cowboy/Christian” or are we just sort of dressed up like one and hoping that they’ll think that we are? Do our “outfits/fruits” really bring “glory to God” or are we recognized as being “drugstore Christians?”
Then, with the use of the second clause of our lesson, are we a “Nathaniel?” Are we recognized as being a WYSIWYG in that what the world is seeing is exactly what it’s getting? A person who professes to be a Christian and their “fruits” bear that assessment out?
Or is it possibly the other way around? That we are not true WYSIWYG’s, that our “outfits” are not the real ones, but rather something we’re wearing to make others think that we’re the real thing? Perhaps this might be a good time to inspect our “outfits” or run a check on our “computer” and see if maybe we need to do some “rearranging” or maybe a little “upgrading.”
Wouldn’t hurt any of us to take a quick look, would it? And don’t you think that we should be working to get “non-cowboys” to “get an outfit and be a cowboy too?” Hard to do if we’re recognized as phonies ourselves, isn’t it?
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Covey
