Subtitle: We need to please God, not man.

Excerpt: The article compares People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” to Absalom, emphasizing inner beauty over outward appearances, especially during Christmas.

Author: Rich Holt

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from 2 Samuel 14:25, “Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his feet to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.”

Background

Each November, People magazine chooses their sexiest man of the year. And so, for the remainder of the year, this person’s face is staring at you as you wait to check out at the supermarket or drug store. Now I’m not sure how the magazine goes about choosing its winner. In fact, I’m reminded of the line from a television show where two elderly fathers were in competition with one another, proudly wearing their hokey t-shirts that proclaimed them either “#1 Dad” or “World’s Greatest Dad.” The dismissive middle-aged son chided the other father and his petty claim, saying, “I don’t know how official any of these rankings really are.” But that’s what we do. We consider how things look, assess their appeal to our eye, and give them a rank or a value. How do Motor Trend and J.D. Power award their 2026 Truck of the Year awards in 2025, before one has even been sold or the lot of them driven and evaluated by the consumers? It’s apparently based on design, features, potential and ingenuity. But who goes back at the end of the year and says that the truck turned out to be far less than promised if it fails to deliver on the hype?

Application

Absalom looked good. Practically perfect. But it wasn’t long ago that he murdered his brother. And it won’t be long yet before he steals the throne from his father. Appearance is certainly something. So many times it’s the first thing. Just consider your Sunday mornings or a Saturday night before a Christmas party if you think otherwise. But if Christmas should do anything to us, it should compel us to look beyond what we see. The lights and the decorations and the wrapping paper are not the focus. If you woke up December 25th in the middle of nowhere without these adornments, would it still feel like Christmas to you? God save us from celebrating Christmas rather than celebrating Jesus. Too often it looks like that’s exactly what we are doing.

Charge

As we seek Him today, close your eyes to what you can only see, and let God open your heart to what he wants you to see.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words