The Truth About Outlet Stores
The other day I was with my wife in the great city of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Now, to understand the rest of this story you must know what kind of attractions exist in Pigeon Forge. Go-karts. putt-putt golf, various types of theatres, cool "museums" and outlet stores. Oh yeah, then Dolly Parton has a certain amusement park there that I can't mention the name due to copyright laws. It rhymes with Hollywood, just replace the H with a D.
Anyway, I went with my wife to an area of Pigeon Forge that has a a wide variety of outlet stores. Outlet stores are one of the great American inventions. When brand name stores have overstock or merchandise that is damaged or has something wrong with it, that pieve ends up in an outlet store. This merchandise is then sold at a discounted price. Well, that's how it used to be, specifically back in the last few years of the 20th century. Neglecting to remember that I was now in the 21st century and this country having suffered maybe the worst recession ever, I proceeded to enter an outlet store hoping to score some nice stuff at a discounted price. I walked over to a nice butoon down shirt that I knew I would probably be purchasing very shortly. That is, until I looked at the price. It took me some time to find it because they hide those suckers so well. When I did it suddenly hit me that the definition of outlet store had changed. Now, I am not going to mention the store or the price, but let me just say that I didn't walk out holding a bag. I was frustrated because this store was supposed to be an outlet, advertising good merchandise at a cheaper price, but just ended up being another reguklar store in the chain of stores that bear a brand name.
It got me thinking though, do we as Christians present ourselves in this way? Do we tell people we are a Christian only to continue acting and living like we aren't? Do we on the outside look like a Christian, but on the inside have not chaged one bit? One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Romans 12:1-2, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." You see, when you give your all to God, he will change you from the inside out. When your heart changes then the rest of you will change. Your actions, behavior, talk, all of that will change. This change must continue by constantly getting into God's Word, covering your day with it. People will know that when you say you are a Christian that you truly are a Christian by your life. You will no longer try to sell to others that you are a Christian, but you will automatically live it.
