I have seen it over and over. People pretending to love Jesus. Why I was there too! You know how it goes: sing the songs, say the prayers, smile at others while around them, talk about Scripture as if we have studied every day of our lives and are moving forward. But then we find ourselves in our own world. At home, work or play where others in Christ do not interact. There we are drawn to the evils that we always desired but no one but ourselves (of course the Lord but we aren't thinking in those terms at this point) knows. We listen to those around that seem to enjoy the very sin we would like to partake in.
Then comes those in Christ Jesus around again. We put on that smile, talk the talk, act like we love the Lord with all our being but deep inside, there is something profoundly missing and we know. The first time something that is spoken or done that we can toss our misery out of our way and accuse them, well, it only covers our hearts desire and we cast our stones easily!
Back in our real world we head. Empty and knowing it! We wished we were different but we have those dark bouts in our soul. We know who we really are. It can eat on us and depress us at times. The more we think, we wonder why we can't find happiness or joy. My unconverted friends seem to have joy and life. Sin is the appealing side and we look over there, walking just in the edge but not get caught. The pull is great. This continues for some time, maybe years and then one day we find the boldness to stand up and fling Jesus far away and go after whatever it is that has always attracted us. There will be consequences but we finally say we are being honest with ourselves. This is what we wanted all along and now the door we hid behind was opened for all to see and we don't care. The years of hypocrisy have finally been tossed aside and we are who we are or are we?
We can look at Judas. A hand-picked apostle of the Lord. Those years of acting the part, watching the miracles and listening to His teaching but the heart was somewhere else. Somehow he had become the 'watchman' over the money box and would skim money for himself. Oh, not enough to get caught but walking in the edge of darkness knowing that's really where he wanted to be. Yet once he had made a deal for thirty pieces of silver, broke from the pack by turning on Jesus, he stood with his collection in his hand and the world he desired lay ahead of him. All the joy and happiness he ever wanted was for his taking but while he clutched his money, he could not escape his treachery. He hurls his whole world at those who gave it to him and ended his life.
It doesn't end so dramatically for us. Some just quietly go to there eternal grave with time. Some head their own direction whimpering, blaming others. All in all, little was found in Christ Jesus. Bored with lessons, bored with people that speak and represent Him and knowing the He really got in our way to what we really wanted. There was too much for us to engage in, to drink and to laugh about without Jesus standing in our path. All the while, the heart grows dull and the guilt is buried in a seared conscience.
Let's not pretend any longer. We don't have to pretend to make Christ attractive to others because in the cases above, He wasn't attractive to me, you or others trapped in sin. Down below all the tasty sin there is something profoundly missing that sin and the sin in our friends cannot bring us...JOY and LIFE. Only Jesus can provide these. These are found only in an honest and pure walk and binding ourselves to Jesus and learning from Him. Once Christ is submitted to with a whole heart, joy is real and life, true life is found. That's the promise from heaven. No more pretending and only living. Isn't that what man really wants?
No comments:
Post a Comment