hy·poc·ri·sy
həˈpäkrəsē/
noun
- the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.
As a Believer, I hear from my buddies that the church is full of hypocrites. I agree. This is one reason that they say that they do not go to church. But As a human being, I notice that the world is full of hypocrites, and I am one of them. I am fully aware of it and I continue to work on this day in and day out. One of the many things that I personally struggle with is my own hypocrisy. Let me give you some examples of my hypocrisy. I tell my kids that they need to have a long fuse, that they should not get so angry but I catch myself having a short fuse. I am only showing them to "Do as I say, and not as I do." More is caught than taught. And do not even get me talking about my anger towards other drives. Please, stop cruising in the left hand lane.
Matthew 7:1-6 Judging Others1"Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?5You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.6"Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
Billy Sunday was quoted to say, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile." Think about that for a second.
I want all my friends to join my in Heaven one day, and I would love to speak with you on how to do that. But let me first share a couple of things with you. I AM NOT PERFECT! BUT, Psalm 139:14 says that I am wonderfully made. So are you. There are no mistakes. I was told on more than one occasion, out of anger, that I was a mistake. WRONG! God does not make mistakes. I am a hypocrite. I love my tattoos. I love my family and I love my friends. I have friends from all walks of life and though they know that I may not always agree with their life choices, I will love them. The verses that I try to live out each and every day is:
Mark 12:28-31 The Great Commandment28And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" 29Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'31The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
You see that in Matthew that I am not to judge and you see in Mark that I am called to love. As I have shared with my lovely bride that, acceptance does not mean agreement. I accept those that are Boston Red Sox fans but it does not mean that I agree with them. If you do not have a home church, I encourage you to find a Church family.
I love you all. I would love to share my Jesus story with you personally and if you are in a place that seems too heavy, too dark, call out to Jesus. I would love to walk beside you.
In Him,
Jimmy
