| Guest Post by JOY Huber |
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11
This passage was shared at church today. The Pastor focused on the word “Sincere.” According to folk history, the English word sincere comes from two Latin words: sine (without) and cera (wax). In the ancient world, dishonest merchants would use wax to hide defects, such as cracks, in their pottery so that they could sell their merchandise at a higher price. More reputable merchants would hang a sign over their pottery — sine cera (without wax) — to inform customers that their merchandise was genuine.1
The pottery in the picture was made by a local potter. I received a full set of his pottery that he custom-made for our bridal registry. This past year, my husband and I celebrated twenty-five years of marriage and these beautiful pieces have always graced our table. These pieces are sincere pottery-without wax. I can bake with them and safely put them in the dishwasher. They have survived many family dinner parties and potlucks.
The pottery with wax would not have lasted these twenty-five years nor would our marriage if it was not sincere. Both would have started to breakdown at the first signs of pressure. I know I am not perfect, nor is my husband, but by God’s grace and having a faith that is sincere, our marriage has lasted over twenty-five years. Even more importantly, my relationship with the Lord must be sincere. I want to overflow with His perfecting love. I need to ensure that I don’t try to cover up my imperfections with excuses (wax) so others can see the sincerity in my relationship with God. Only with God’s love can I sincerely love those around me.
Sincere
Without Wax. Perfecting Love.
Am I sincere in my relationship with Christ and does His love overflow in me? Do my actions show my sincerity even under heat and pressure? Or do I just put on a front and look good on the outside?
Funny… I started reading this post without noticing the guest post by joy huber. And as I was reading I thought, hmm that’s funny, this exact thing about the word sincere and it’s meaning and application was preached on at my church recently too!! But then I was like, Mel and Chris have not been married 25 years, hmmmm. Then I noticed joys name?
Beautiful post. Great truths!!