-Looking Good Isn’t Enough

“Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretence.” – Jeremiah 3:10

The American humorist, Sam Levenson told the story of the driver who put a note under the windshield wiper of a packed car that read, “I have just smashed into your car. The people who saw the incident are watching me. They think I’m writing down my name and address. I’m not.”

In Jeremiah 3, we read of another clever bit of pretense. Judah pretended to return to the Lord, but the hearts of the people remained far from Him. They called God “Father,” but they continued doing all the evil they could get away with (Jeremiah 3:4-5).

I can’t think of a problem I’m more concerned about in myself than a failure to respond honestly to the Lord who has made Himself so real and so knowable in Christ. It’s easy to say, “Yes, He is our Lord and Saviour. He died for our sins and deserves our worship and service.” But it’s not so easy to remember our commitment to Him when no one is watching how we live.

Let’s not kid ourselves. We’re smart enough to look good in public and say the right things about the Lord when it’s in our best interest to do so. But what about our heart relationship with the Lord? Can we look at Him in the face without shame? Looking good in the eyes of others is not enough.

The harder we work at what we should be, the less we’ll try to hide what we are.   

-The Contrasting Standards Of The World.

“Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7

The world’s standard for measuring people differs radically from God’s. People pay homage to the rich and famous, showing little regard for their moral or spiritual qualities. The Almighty, on the other hand, delights in virtues like humility, meekness, sincerity, and unselfishness.

Sometimes, because we cannot see people’s hearts, we misjudge them. The Jewish people, because they could see only the actions of the scribes, held them in high regard. These well-educated religious leaders copied the Scriptures without charge. This gave them every appearance of great piety. Jesus, however, saw the scribes as men who took advantage of their position to obtain red-carpet treatment everywhere. Moreover, He observed the humble sincerity of the widow who, out of love for God, deposited in the temple treasury two small copper coins, a gift that represented great sacrifice. Yet she received no recognition from the people.

As we set our own personal goals and make judgments about people around us, we must remember that God looks at our hearts. If we remain open to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and rely on Him, He will produce in us a lifestyle that will meet with Divine approval.

If we have a distorted picture of the Christian life, we’ve allowed the world to develop the film.    

-Hypocrite On Display

“I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you.” – 2 Timothy 1:5

Several customers were waiting in line at a London cheese shop one day when the famous preacher C.H. Spurgeon came in to make a purchase. Noticing a fine block of cheese in the shop window, he couldn’t resist touching it, and gently tapped the cheese with his walking stick. This surprise, the “cheese” made an empty metallic sound, like the ring of a big bread pan. Spurgeon later recounted, I came to conclusion that I had found a very well-got-up hypocrite in the window.”

People can be like that. They look like something they aren’t. many use the name Christian and make a rather pretty display on Sunday morning, yet they have hollow sound of hypocrite. A person may look like a Christian but lacks genuine faith. When tapped with temptation or spiritual duty, the sham becomes evident. What seems to be spirituality is a veneer profession without the substance of possession.

That is not so with Timothy. His faith was genuine, so real that thinking of it filled Paul with joy. Satisfaction must have filled Timothy’s heart as he read Paul’s words (2 Tim. 1:5). We must continually evaluate our faith and ask ourselves if what we profess will stand up under God’s examination.

Many give Christianity their countenance but not their heart.

-Goodness Is Not Godliness

“I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus” –Philippians 3:8     

To be good is not necessarily to be godly. But to be godly is to be good. Failure to make this distinction leads to misunderstanding. Christians sometimes assume that just because their good conduct is above reproach, they are right with the Lord. But this may not be true. The Bible says it is possible to be moral without relying on God or even knowing Him.

The Cheyenne, a group of native Americans who once lived in central Minnesota and northern South Dakota, were highly moral people. They practiced moderation, dignity, and generosity, and they manifested an almost unbelievable degree of self-control. Parents loved their children and gave them affection without spoiling them. They also taught them ethical values, so that most of them became dedicated, self-sacrifice, well-behave human beings. Yet these people were not Christians.

Knowing that people can be good without being godly should cause us to inventory own lives. If non-Christians can be moral in their own strength, so can we. But no matter how nice we may look on the outside, as long as we depend on ourselves, we displease the Lord. Being godly is a virtue that comes only through relying on Christ. Our goal should be goodness that comes from godliness.  

Holiness is a journey that leads to godliness.

-Sincere People Can Be Wrong

“Now when Peter has come to Antioch, [Paul] withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed.” –Galatians 2:11

The apostle Peter, though a devoted follower of Jesus, made a serious mistake in separating himself from Gentile believer just to please his narrow-minded Jewish friends. So Paul rebuked him. He knew that even a dedicated Christian can err and bring great harm to the work of the Lord.

A pastor once spoke negatively of doctors as “medical deities” and urge his followers not to seek medical attention, he caused them needless suffering. A young mother who had been a member of his church said both she and her baby would have died if she had followed his directions. A doctor told her that she should have Caesarean section, but she her husband decided to follow the pastor’s counsel and have a doctor on hand for delivery. But when it became obvious that both mother and baby would die, without medical attention, they quickly changed their minds.

We be careful of whom we trust. Even when people seem devout, sincere, and honest, we should test their teaching by asking God for guidance, searching the Scriptures, and talking with knowledgeable, trustworthy Christians. Sincere people can be sincerely wrong.

Error is often dressed in the garb of truth.  

-The Misguided Goat

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.” -2 Corinthians 13:5  

In these days when everyone is so good at role-playing, it’s sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the imposter and real thing. Even within the church, some behave as if they can satisfy God by acting out the part of a Christian.

They are like the goat who wanted to be a lion. So he practiced stalking through the jungle and tried to swish his stubby little tail majestically. Then he tried to turn his pitiful little bleat into the deep, awesome roar of the king of beasts. Finally convinced that he looked and sounded like a lion, he said, “Now, all I have to do to be lion is to go where lions go.” So he marched into lion territory one day about lunchtime.

Sometimes people who learned to talk, walk, and act like Christians, think they really are. But if they have never personally placed their trust in Jesus Christ, they are phonies. They lack that “genuine faith,” which alone brings true salvation (2 Tim 1:5).

When we rely on church attendance, pious language, or good behavior to get into heaven, we deceive ourselves. Only trusting in Jesus can we avoid the rude awakening on the Day of Judgment that faced the misguided goat when he walked into lion territory.

We should work harder to be what we ought to be than to hide what we are.