What are You Really Like?
What are you really like? Not the person you try to make us think you are, but the person you really are. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. ‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”
We are foolish creatures. We think that if we wear the right mask before those we intend to impress, they will believe we are truly that person. The problem is that there are three others who are aware of what we are really like. First, Satan (our adversary) knows what we are really like. In fact, he enjoys the hypocrisy of our life. If we continue to delude ourselves in thinking we are mature, committed Christians while we live just like the world, he has us exactly where he wants us. That is, self-righteously useless to the work of God’s kingdom. Second, there are the nonbelievers that live all around us that have regular dealings with us. Lost people are spiritually lost, not stupid! When we profess Jesus Christ as Lord, we place ourselves on display. And we apparently forget that the church has taught the world to expect Christians to live a much higher (if not perfect) standard. At the same time that they are experiencing our hypocrisy, they will occasionally interact with some believers who really are transformed by the grace of God. Don’t be deceived! Nonbelievers can see the difference. They know that we claim to be spiritually reborn people, yet they observe that our life is really no different than theirs. They are not fooled by us, and they talk among themselves about what hypocrites we are. Third is Jesus Christ. All of our life lies open before His eyes. He sees that we are more concerned with pleasing other people instead of Him. He knows the spiritual potential that is wasted as Christians live for the world rather than for God—eternal beings playing with passing away stuff. (See 1 John 2:15-17) Think about it.
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.