Friday; October 23

Do you know any hypocrites?  Now, before we start listing the names of our adversaries, let me reel this in a bit by re-asking, “Are we ever hypocritical?”.  Do we ever say one thing and do something that disputes what we claim?  I am sure that there are several examples of this in each one of our lives, but the most damaging are those that are affiliated with our religion.  Sure, moral or ethical glitches might taint our reputations, but are there times when our hypocrisy actually gets in the way of our spiritual standing?  Maybe more sobering, do our actions render our spiritual worship ineffective?  The wise king of the Old Testament, observed, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.” (Proverbs 15:8).  I remember as a child we used to play “church” and, when I look back on children imitating what we saw the adults doing, it was cute.  However, as adults merely “playing church” just won’t cut it!  We have to match our beliefs with our actions.  If we want forgiveness, we must practice mercy.  If we want a stress-free life, we need to live by faith.  If we want holiness, we have to stop chasing worldly pleasures.  To avoid hypocrisy, we have to walk the walk.

Let’s do more than act like we are God’s people, let’s set up our abode in His kingdom.  When we do that, not only will we see fewer hypocrites, we’ll also spend less time being them.

Think About It!

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