Fake It
I remember being told, “Fake it until you make it”. This advice seemed to make sense when you’re new at a job. Even if I’m not skilled yet, I can act with confidence like I really know what I’m doing. One of my favorite sayings…. “Go with what you know until your feelings catch up”. I’ve learned over the years that my feelings will deceive me. I may “feel something” that is totally an emotional bump. Feelings are not factual, but I do own them. I might “feel” a connection with another person that is totally incorrect.
Jesus was starting to get noticed in His ministry and the religious leaders were trying to figure out His angle. They started picking at Him and His followers and all of their religious traditions and rules. Check this out….
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ (Mark 7:5-7 NLT)
Jesus uses scripture from the Old Testament to call them out. They are speaking of actions and behavior and Jesus goes right to the heart behind the actions or behavior.
I confess that it’s easy to fake follow God. I have been there and done that. I really want to be open, honest, and vulnerable as I seek to follow Him. I’ve learned that my heart is what He is after. He knows that when He has my devoted heart, my behavior will follow.
I have lots of conversations with the Lord that no one else ever knows about. My public persona as a Christian should reflect my personal conversations with the Lord. When I understand the depth of my sin, I notice the depth of His Grace. His Grace really is a bit ridiculous, but I’m so grateful. I want to ALWAYS be authentic with my faith and with my struggles with sin. He saved me from fake, self-righteous behavior that is profoundly sinful and deceitful.
Pressing On!
Dwayne