Hypocrisy: a lie in action

"Hypocrisy: a lie in action- the legacy of indecency."

No one likes a hypocrite. No one enjoys a two-faced character. No one wants to be lied to.

  Last week I listened as I heard a couple of individuals discuss a person they felt to be a hypocrite.This person professed to be a Christian but acted unchristian. Because of this proven reputation, the person has damaged any chance of successfully influencing those around them. As I listened to their words regarding this particular individual, all I could think was, "God, don't let me ever become like that. Check me if I start to become a hypocrite." 

 In Matthew 23, Jesus talks about the hypocrites during that time and he warns that we need to worry about the "inside of the cup" as well as the outside. I need to worry about my spiritual state rather than what everyone can see.

Matthew 23:1-7

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

Matthew 23:25-26

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

I can't get caught up in acting the part. There can be no acting, just an authentic walk with God. I must be the God-follower I profess to be.  Real. Raw. Authentic.