One afternoon, as I reached for a vibrant green apple, chilled and seemingly perfect from the fridge, I anticipated the sweet refreshment it would bring to my little nephew. Yet, upon slicing it open, a disheartening sight met my eyes: the apple, spoiled and marred with unsightly brown blemishes, betrayed its flawless exterior. It mattered not how diligently I might scrub its skin to a shine; the core remained untouched, the decay unseen but very real.
This moment of disillusionment reminds me so profoundly of our own human condition. We, too, can be so consumed with our external presentation, the facade we curate for the world, believing if we look and play the part of righteousness, that will suffice. But our Lord pierces deeper, seeking the truth beneath the surface. For as much as humans are swayed by appearances, our God discerns the essence of our being, He gazes upon the heart.
It is in the heart where our true nature resides, where the fruits of our spirit are cultivated or left to wither. The Lord yearns for us to bear good fruit, yet He is not deceived by mere outward shows of piety. The transformation He desires is of a profounder kind, one that blooms from within and radiates outward, a change that is only possible through the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. By placing our faith genuinely in Him, we are reborn—not just in image, but in spirit, heart, and truth.