Confession – Courtney and I are watching Big Brother 8. We are not religious about it, but it has sucked us in. It fascinates me to see these people, locked in a house, forced to live with each other, and then voting one person out of the house each week. There is so much that is objectionable about the show and most, if not all of the people, but it is fascinating. It’s fascinating to watch the dynamics of these human relationships. Anyway…Evel Dick is one of the guys in the house. If you don’t know the show and Evel Dick, I can’t succinctly explain it, so this may make no sense to you. Anyway…Evel is an instigator and tends to berate the one outspoken Christian (who happens to be a black female) on the show. His biggest insult to her is that she is a “hypocrite.” Which, she probably is. No, she is. Because we all are. All of us Christians anyway. Your opinion may differ, but don’t hate me for mine. I KNOW I am a hypocrite. I break my own standards and God’s as well. Pretty much everyday. Only people who have standards can actually break a standard and thus become a hypocrite. The fewer standards you have, the less likely you will be to break them. Following after Christ comes with standards – standards no one can keep perfectly, but we strive to keep. God tells us through the Bible that “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. “ (1 John 1:8-10, 2:1-2) Fact is, Christians will sin. We strive toward a standard – Jesus. He was and is perfect. He is no hypocrite. I hope that people will be able to see Jesus in me. That my life will reflect a change that points people to Him. But sometimes it won’t. I’m a hypocrite. Maybe the world’s biggest. So, look at me. Maybe you’ll see Jesus. Maybe you’ll see a hypocrite. But better yet, look at Jesus. Read about His life in the Bible. Consider Him, not me. And then, hopefully, you will want to follow after Him. So, Evel Dick, if we ever meet, know that I am a hypocrite. I’m not proud of it, and I hope and strive to be less of one everyday.
Anyway…from the book Knowing God by JI Packer – In chapter 8, Packer is dealing with the subject of the majesty and greatness of God. He is pointing out how small our view of God in modern society tends to be. He writes, “But this is knowledge which Christians today largely lack: and that is one reason why our faith is so feeble and our worship so flabby. We are modern people, and modern people, though they cherish freat thoughts of themselves, have as a rule small thoughts of God. When the person in the church, let alone the person in the street, uses the word God, the thought is rarely of divine majesty.” I hope that you and I are pursuing greater thoughts of God and less of ourselves. As Jesus cousin once said, “He (Jesus/God) must become greater, I must become less.” (John 3:30)
And finally, from Indeed devotional – the additional reading today was Hebrews 7:25 which says, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Jesus intercedes for us. He speaks to/prays to the Father on our behalf. Wow. Jesus prays for me, and you. I know I need all the prayer I can get. It helps to know that the Son and the Father are having a conversation about me. And you. And, as the Indeed author puts it, “the Son of God does not have unanswered prayers.”
MikeWindley.com 