Mark 7:7 “These people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.”
Jesus reserved his harshest words for those who should have known better – the religious establishment – calling them amongst other things a ‘brood of vipers’. You can’t expect those on the outside to behave any better if they don’t acknowledge a higher power, but for those of us who do, we are answerable and accountable to God. Sadly many of us give lip-service to King of Kings whilst giving every other kind of service to the Prince of this World.
That is what Brennan Manning meant when he wrote: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle… That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”
One of the most memorable and painful times the Lord spoke to me was through a friend of mine after he had heard me preach. He said: “The content may have been good, but I couldn’t really listen to what you were saying because I know what you are really like.” Ouch, that cut deep…
How about you? Most people we interact with who don’t already know Jesus are never going to read the Bible – or if you like, the only ‘Bible’ they’re going to read is you. Nobody likes a hypocrite, and most people can spot a fraud pretty quickly. If there are areas of your life that are inconsistent with what you believe deep down, don’t harden your heart. Face up to them today, keep short accounts, confess and resolve to be true to your convictions. Authenticity is very attractive.
Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is “sharper than any double-edged sword… and it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart”. We can fool others, but God sees our heart. Be true to him today.
Lord, I choose to honour you with both my lips and my heart today. Amen!
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