The Real Deal!

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

Colossians 3:16 

 

We have gone to GREAT lengths to improve our currency in order to make it much more difficult to counterfeit.  Designers also go to great lengths to make their products difficult to counterfeit.  Yet the sad thing is the fact that many designer goods are simply to expensive for the average consumer, so the counterfeiters make lots of money with their "knock-offs."

 

What's the best way to tell if something is real or fake?  Study what is real!  Ruth Graham once said to a Scotland Yard Investigator, "You must have to study the counterfeits endlessly to make sure you catch them."  The Investigator replied, "No Ma'am, we only study every single detail of the genuine so that when a counterfeit comes in, we can pick it out immediately."

 

Now think for a minute, if we take that Investigators counsel and apply it to our lives in Christ, would the results be the same?  If we are so ingrained in Scripture that we know the truth, shouldn't we be able to pick out the false teachers?  Yes!  But are we willing to study the Scriptures for ourselves or are we willing to just believe whatever sounds right?

 

Just as counterfeiters can make their knock-offs just good enough to fool some people, counterfeit preachers and teachers can do the same thing with Scripture, and too many people fall for it.  How about you?  Do you want the genuine message of Christ, or what someone tells you is the "truth"?

Choose Wisely And Brace Yourself

Do not be deceived. God cannot be fooled. For a person will reap what he sows.

Galatians 6:7

 

I got one of those newfangled FitBit thingies.  It keeps track of the steps I take, how long I sit without walking (when I am usually reading), how much water I drink, the foods I eat, my heart rate, and so much more.  It's a bit unnerving to say the least to have one's life controlled by this device.  I even have to recharge it ever couple of days, so it's almost as it I am wearing a pet on my wrist.

 

But guess what I discovered?  I can increase the number of steps registered simply by moving my arm so I don't have to get out of my chair.  I can add however much water to the program as I want to make it appear that I am almost drowning (by the way, I have noticed that the more water I actually drink leads to an increase in steps.  Yep, I have reached that age).  I can add, or not log, the food I eat so it appears that I am eating healthier. I can go to great lengths to fool this device into believing I am making good healthy choices. 

 

What does this have to do with anything?  I can fool this device, yet when I go to the doctor for a check-up, the truth will come out.  You see, if I make the choice to adhere to the goal of eating better, drinking more water, moving more, I will begin to feel better. 

 

How many times do we pretend to be "Godly" in front of others, yet in reality we are just being fake?  We'll slap on a concerned look or shout Hallelujah a lot or pretend to pray for others......believe it or not, we can't fool God.  God knows when we are insincere.  God knows when we are pretending.  God knows....and He allows us do experience the consequences of our decision to be fake.  Therefore, perhaps it's time to actually BE sincere.  Perhaps it's time that I actually follow the healthy habits this device is trying to instill.

Beware The Wolf!

They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires.

2 Timothy 3:5-6

Don't you just LOVE "religious" people?  I'm not talking about the true believers, I'm talking about those who know how to "work the rites" for their own gain.  Think about this for a minute:  Jesus' biggest critics were who?  The Religious People (also known as "Church Folk").  Jesus taught the people to beware of these people who ACT holy but are really out to control, gain power (political power is one of the desires I see a LOT of in some "pastors"), get a bigger paycheck, gain prestige, and more trappings of higher offices.  

Needless to say, I am NOT a fan of the "church folk."  The church my family attended when I was in grade school almost had a split over a topic that has since become the norm: The Super Bowl!  The pastor stated that Sunday Services would occur at their regular time on Super Bowl Sunday (Morning AND Evening).  Several of the members took offense that they were expected to actually choose between learning about God's love for them or watching a sporting event (and the pre-pre-pre-pregame show all the way through the post-post-post-postgame commentaries).  The pastor merely told the congregation that it was their choice to attend or not, but services would not be cancelled.  

Do you know what this told me about church?  That it was optional!  It taught me that God was not to be THE priority, but merely someone to learn about if I have the and feel like it.  And guess what?  These "Church Folk" would enthusiastically and very animatedly discuss every play of the game, but when it came time to speak of God or pray they sounded like they bad actors in a very bad play with a very bad script.

The question before you today is simple:  Is God YOUR priority or just another nick-nack you dust off every so often when you feel like it?