Guided thoughts no. 25

Ahhhh, autumn!
Chilly mornings that give way to sunshine-filled, warmer afternoons.....the heady scent of scuppernong grapes ripening in the sunshine.....the spectacular shades of color in the leaves on the trees.....

Gorgeous reds, flashy oranges, brilliant yellows.....
Wow!
What a stunning display of God's handiwork!

Ever heard the expression, "all flash and no substance'? Well, it doesn't apply to the way that God paints the world with autumn colors..... but does it apply to us?

Are we colorful with our testimony? Can we quote "chapter and verse" as my grandma used to say? Sing the hymns from memory? Have people thinking well of us, that we must be awfully spiritual?

But where's the substance? As the old fast-food commercial used to say, "Where's the beef?"

When we are asked to volunteer for a task, do we cheerfully do so? When we face an obstacle, do we buckle down and approach it in God's strength?

Or are we shallow? There's no real walk behind the talk?

Just gettin' real here, folks. If we are not genuine, what kind of a testimony do we really have?

In other words, are we hypocrites?

(Gasp)
Yes, I said it. And we need to explore this. Truly need to.
Are we listening?

(I am indebted to a very old book, The Christian's Great Interest, by William Guthrie of Scotland, in the 1600's. I heartily encourage y'all to read it if you can secure a copy!)

If we are hypocrites, we may have great knowledge of God's truth, and our emotions about Jesus may be very high....

 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. (Matthew 13:20)

We can even look good on the outside, like the Pharisee who prayed:

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ (Luke 18:11-12)

We can't place all our stock in the fact that we were convicted of sin, for even Judas experienced that:

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. (Matthew 27:3)

And how about Felix....he was troubled by his sins, too:

As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”  (Acts 24:25)

In fact, a hypocrite can put on all kinds of showy, good behavior, but God knows the heart:

But to the wicked person, God says:“What right have you to recite my laws    or take my covenant on your lips? (Psalm 50:16)

An unbeliever (or a hypocrite, either one) can persevere and give all their possessions to God, even take on physical hardship, but Paul says:

If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (I Corinthians 13:3)

In other words, if our walk doesn't match our talk, we're not the real thing. We're not genuine. People will look us over and decide that Christianity doesn't mean much, because when we really need to be the real thing, we are lacking.

So, how can we avoid these pitfalls? How can we show that we are real? We are genuine? We truly desire to walk with our Lord?

Tune in tomorrow!