Key Verse
5They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.
Something To Think About
If you are a fan of the TV show, American Idol, the name William Hung most likely rings a bell. He became the face of the thousands of people who tried out for the show who couldn’t sing. My theory on why William Hung became so popular is that he truly didn’t know how bad he was. He honestly thought he was a good singer while the rest of world could hear otherwise. (Not to mention that his dancing was entertaining!)
Why did he become this cultural phenomenon? Is it that people like to see others make fools out of themselves so that they can feel better about themselves?
When you think of the “ideal” family as presented in today’s culture, what comes to mind? Two successful professionals, 2.5 kids, a dog, a large home in the suburbs, the kids involved in numerous activities outside of school. Church every Sunday. Everything is hunky-dory. Not a care in this world! Right?
That is the image that a lot of this world tries to keep up. We have the false ideal that we try to live up to and I suspect that for most people, it is a fragile shell. That is why watching William Hung sing “She Bang” is such a relief for us. For that brief moment, we can watch someone else completely make a fool out of themselves and we can forget about the facade that we have built up around our self.
Now think about what the world thinks about Christians? Let’s look at a few recent examples:
- Rev. Pat Robertson advocating the assassination of Hugo Chavez
- The preachers wife who just shot her husband.
- The priests that molest boys.
- Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart affairs.
- People who in Christ’s name bomb abortion clinics.
- How about the guy at the office who surfs porn on the Internet and gets fall down drunk at the company picnic but is known to be a deacon at his church?
- How about the woman who teaches Sunday school, attends Bible Study faithfully, but then gossips, spreads rumors, acts selfishly and betrays their friends?
As Christians, we need to be real.
Jesus gives us the freedom to be real.
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can come to Him and confess our own sin. We can be assured that we are forgiven, plus, we can be confident that He will continue to transform us into holiness. Will we ever be perfect? Not while we are here on this earth, but that is the point. Because we are followers of Christ, we can knock down the unreal facade and bare our ugliness to Christ so he can cleanse us from our sin. Then we will be able to say to the world, “Yea, I’m sinful but look at what God is doing in my life.”
That’s reality.
Let’s Discuss
What did Jesus think of hypocrites? (Matthew 23)
Since Jesus gives us the freedom to be real, does that give us a license to sin? (Rom 6:1-2)
What are the benefits to you by being real? (Gal 5:22-23)
===================================================
If you would like a printable copy of this devotional, we have provided one here.