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| Mike Hosey, An Elder |
Everyone
has got that one "friend." They tell you what they think you want
to hear. They yes, yes, yes you. If they think they can benefit
from being seen with you, then they will be seen with you only at the
most opportune times, so that others will think the two of you have
some kind of important relationship. But really, they're not
interested in you. Their motives are ulterior. (To define that
word, read about it here, and listen to Nelson here.)
Some
people seem to just waller in their fakeness. Have you ever met The Name Dropper? “Oh I know so and so!” (But not really) Or, “I
went to school with Mr. or Ms. Important.” (But they've never
actually met Mr. or Mrs. Important) Name droppers can be kind of
repulsive. That's because they're fake.
Fakeness
is not good. Just imagine how icky it would be if your spouse, or
anyone who has an actual relationship with you, faked communication
exchanges with you. Your relationship wouldn't be good for very
long. No one likes fakeness – especially not God. In fact, the
bible tells us that he hates a false weight (Proverbs 11:1, Leviticus
19:35-36). It also teaches us that he hates dishonesty (Leviticus
19:11). He expects us to worship him in spirit and in truth (John
4:24).
And
since prayer is a highly intimate discipline of
individual worship, He expects it to be very truthful. He doesn't
want it to be for show; He wants it to be genuine (Matthew 6:5-15).
So serious is He about it, that He gives us a model to follow in
Matthew 6:9-13. He's not asking us to recite this model as if it's a
magical incantation. Instead, He wants our prayers to conform to its
principles. In that model, He teaches us to honor His name as holy.
When we truly do that, our perspective begins to line up. He then
teaches us to pray for His will and not our own. Unfortunately, too
many teachers proclaim the exact opposite. The truth is, however, that His will
is always better for us than our own. He teaches us to depend on him
regularly -- even daily. Your physical body cannot go day to day
without physical food and be healthy. In the same way, neither can
your spiritual relationship with Him. He reminds us that He has forgiven us, and instructs us
to follow His example. Finally, He reminds us that He is the guide
on our journey, and our rescuer from trouble.
So
don't be God's fake friend. Talk to Him honestly and with genuine
heart, as if you loved Him like a father and a true friend!
Very good reflections Mike.“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.” James 1:26 I know some people who may appear to have a relationship with Jesus just for show, but Too often we don't even mean to be fake with God, we simply get caught up in the routines of life, but every time that I see or feel my relationship with God becoming fake I try to remember to step back and GET REAL with the Lord.
ReplyDeleteToo often many of us have prayed over a meal with an empty prayer, one of repetitiveness without real relationship...one which truly was halfhearted and we know it and God knows it.
I like to think of it like how I communicate with my own father most of the time. When I was really small I put all of my trust in my daddy and looked up to him for the answers to even the toughest questions, and although I went through some times like the teenage years where I had more of a surface relationship with my dad, I have gotten back to being REAL with him and trusting him with my heart. God is my heavenly father and he deserves not only my worldly communication but my spiritual as well. He knows all that I think and do but he just wants to hear it from me for the right reasons, he wants me to show how real our relationship is but not for others to know or see...just for us to have. How can I have real faith without real trust and honesty? Just like with my worldly father If I did something wrong it was better to be honest and fess up since he would probably find out eventually and I would get in more hot water for a lie than the truth no matter how bad the mistake was, but he wanted me to tell him for the right reasons then too, not just so I could get in less trouble but instead I should admit my mistakes because I know it is the right thing to do. Prayer and Fasting should not be done for reasons of boast or for attention since God knows the reasons for such things. Just as you stated in last weeks Reflections Matthew 6:1–2 this verse says a lot.
Thanks Crystal for reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I'm glad that you can see that even people who aren't fake can become accidentally fake by not paying attention and falling into a rut. That's an interesting perspective. Thanks again.
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