Proverbs 16:25
Looks
are deceiving. I am sure you have learned this lesson in life. Like red
frosting on a birthday cake, it looks good, but then…. Hopefully the frosting
doesn’t lead to death, but your tongue will have an unusual hue to it.
If
we only pay attention to outward appearances, we will get frequently deceived.
There are tool catalogs that sell many hand tools very inexpensively. If you
only need to use the tool a few times, they are great. But after a few uses you
realize why they are so cheap. Their looks covered up the cheap quality of
construction. You really do get what you pay for.
Used
cars can be made to look really shiny and clean. The salesman distracts you
from the imperfections by pointing out the shiny chrome and great radio. But
looks can deceive.
Some
people have the ability to sell themselves, even though they are an empty bag.
They promise one thing, and when it comes time to deliver you find out all they
had were empty words. They had no substance behind their words.
Some
choices in life can look good when they are first presented. If you act on them
in the moment, you don’t have time to think about what you are doing. You don’t
have time to evaluate the second and third order effects.
Timeshare
sales promotions take advantage of this incapacity to process decisions. They
tell you all the positive points from their perspective. They get you agreeing
with them about how wonderful it would be to vacation in a place like this
every year. They pitch the economic matters by telling you it will only cost a
dollar. They leave out that it is a dollar a minute!
Our
proverb tells us that things can appear right, but really be deadly. Slow down.
Take time to make decisions. Pray. Get Godly counsel. Slow down.