"I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God" (Jeremiah 3:12-13).
THEME
HYPOCRISY
George Jeffreys, a sixteenth-century English judge infamous for his cruelty and ruthlessness, once pointed his cane at a man about to be tried, denouncing him, "There is a rogue at the end of my cane." The accused glared at Jeffreys. "At which end, my lord?" he demanded.
Although Jeremiah warned Judah of its sin for more than four decades, the people refused to acknowledge their waywardness. They dropped their sins at the temple door and picked them up again when they left. They were spiritual street-walkers, giving their souls to other gods. Doing an about-face at the steps of justice, they cheated widows, orphans, and strangers. Because of their hypocrisy, God led them to the slaughterhouse in 586 b.c., the year of the final thrust against Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
In Greek theater the "hypocrite" held a painted mask in front of his face to portray a character. Today, hypocrites are those who try to disguise their true identity; they say they are one thing, but their actions prove otherwise.
Peter, who played the phony at Christ's trial, tells Christians to put aside hypocrisy if they want to grow close to Jesus (1 Peter 2:1-5, 22). Those who know themselves live in humility and honesty--never pointing canes.
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JUL 22
JEREMIAH 3:4-10
"Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense" (Jeremiah 3:10).
Humorist Sam Levenson told the story of a driver who put a note under the windshield wiper of a parked car that read, "I have just smashed into your car. The people who saw the accident are watching me. They think I'm writing down my name and address. I'm not. Good luck."
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 (vv. 4-5).
As this situation in Jeremiah indicates, putting on a false front is a very old practice. But I doubt that any is more up-to-date. And I can't think of a problem I'm more concerned about in myself than a failure to respond from the heart to the Lord who has made Himself so real and so knowable in Christ. It is easy to say, "Yes, yes, He is our Lord and Savior. He has died for our sins and deserves our worship and service." But it's not so easy to remember our commitment to Him when the pressure is off and 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 Him in the face without shame? Looking good in the eyes of others is not enough.
--M.R.D.II
The harder we work at what we should be, the less we'll try to hide what we are.
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JUL 23
LUKE 20:45-21:4
"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. The news and entertainment media, for example, 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, reverence, and unselfishness.
Sometimes, because we cannot see people's hearts and motives, we misjudge them, both positively and negatively. 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 while depending on their profession for their livelihood and on freewill gifts. This gave them every appearance of great piety. The Lord Jesus, however, saw the scribes as men who took advantage of their position to fleece the gullible and 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.
--H.V.L.
If we have a distorted picture of the Christian life, we've allowed the world to develop the film.
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JUL 24
2 TIMOTHY 1:1-5
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. Not one to stand around calmly, he became a little fidgety as he stood behind the others and waited his turn. 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. To his surprise, the "cheese" made an empty metallic sound--like the ring of a big bread pan. Spurgeon later recounted, "I came to the conclusion that I had found a very well-got-up hypocrite in the window."
People can be like fake cheese--they look like something they aren't. Many use the name CHRISTIAN and make a rather pretty display on Sunday morning, yet they have the hollow sound of a hypocrite. A person may look like a Christian but lack genuine faith. When tapped with temptation or spiritual duty, the sham becomes evident. What seemed to be spirituality is a veneer of profession--without the substance of possession.
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 the apostle Paul's words (2 Ti 1:5).
We must continually evaluate our faith and ask ourselves if what we profess will stand up under God's examination.
--P.R.V.
Many give Christianity their countenance but not their heart.
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JUL 25
PHILIPPIANS 3:1-11
I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord (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 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-sacrificing, well-behaved human beings. Yet these people were not Christians.
Knowing that people can be good without being godly should cause us to inventory our 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.
--M.R.D.II
Holiness is a journey that leads to godliness.
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JUL 26
GALATIANS 2:11-21
Now when Peter had 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 believers just to please his narrow-minded Jewish friends. So Paul rebuked him lest he lead others astray. He knew that even a dedicated Christian can err and bring great harm to the work of the Lord.
Hobart E. Freeman was a sincere pastor who helped many people find Jesus as their personal Savior. But when he spoke negatively of doctors as "medical deities" and urged his followers not to seek medical attention, he caused them needless suffering. Apparently some died from illnesses that could have been cured. The FT. WAYNE NEWS-SENTINEL claims to have documented evidence of eighty-six deaths among Freeman's people. A young mother who had been a member of his church said that both she and her baby would have died if she had followed his directions. A doctor told her that she should have a Caesarean section, but she and her husband decided to follow Freeman's counsel and not 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 must be careful whom we trust. Even when people seem devoutly religious, sincere, and honest, we should test their teaching by asking the Lord for guidance, searching the Scriptures, and talking with knowledgeable, trustworthy Christians. Sincere people can be sincerely wrong.
--H.V.L.
Error is often dressed in the garb of truth.
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JUL 27
2 CORINTHIANS 13:1-10
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 impostor and the real thing. Even within the church, some behave as if they can satisfy God by skillfully acting out the part of a Christian.
They are like the goat who wanted more than anything else in the world to be a lion. He told himself that if he could learn to walk like a lion, talk like a lion, and go where lions go, he would 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. He worked and worked on it. Finally convinced that he looked and sounded like a lion, he said, "Now, all I have to do to be a lion is to go where lions go." So he marched into lion territory one day about lunchtime.
Sometimes people who have learned to walk, talk, and act like Christians, think they really are. By outward appearances, they 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 Ti 1:5).
When we rely on church attendance, pious language, or good behavior to get us into heaven, we deceive ourselves. Only by trusting the Lord Jesus as Savior can we avoid the rude awakening on the day of judgment that faced the misguided goat when he walked into lion territory.
--D.C.E.
We should work harder to be what we ought to be than to hide what we are.
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JUL 28
MATTHEW 23:25-33
"Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy" (Matthew 23:28).
Our society encourages hypocrisy. Even before our children enter school they begin to master the art of artificiality. It isn't long until they become as sophisticated as their adult counterparts at the slick little deceptions of modern life.
This practice is bad enough in social circles, but it is even worse when it occurs in the church. When Sunday morning comes, we adjust our behavior to fit what others expect of a good Christian. We sit piously in our "Sunday best," hiding from everyone that we are selfish, stingy, unforgiving people.
In his book IMPROVING YOUR SERVE, Charles Swindoll tells of speaking at a singles retreat in a Rocky Mountain resort. He had purposely brought along a full-faced rubber mask that his children had given him as a funny present. One evening he wore it as he began to speak on authenticity. As expected, the crowd went wild with laughter. Each new sentence increased the effect. After removing the mask, he observed, "It's a funny thing, when we wear literal masks, nobody is fooled. But how easy it is to wear invisible ones and fake people out by the hundreds. . . . Servants who are 'pure in heart' have peeled off their masks. And God places special blessing on their lives."
We all struggle with the problem of hypocrisy. But when our hearts are pure, we will have no reason to cover our faces.
--D.C.E.
A hypocrite is a person who isn't himself on Sunday.
