The nation of Israel was designed to have a place where other nations of the world would come to worship the true God. The temple in Jerusalem was to be the center from which the good news of God's salvation would spread to every corner of the world. But those who were supposed to be God's people forsook Him and practiced every kind of sin. Rather than being ambassadors for God, they disgraced His holy name. Rather than attracting the nations of the earth to God, they became stumbling blocks to those who were seeking the true God. The Israelites fell so far from God's original intent that He judged them and sent them into exile. Yet God promised that one day His people would be an avenue by which others could find salvation. While it is true that day exists now it is also very noticeable the amount of hypocrisy that can be found among religious people. A prideful hypocrite can influence others away from the Lord and towards eternal destruction. A humble hypocrite like myself admits his many shortcomings so that others can see he is not perfect but in pursuit of holiness. Ever know a Christian who was "on fire" for God but always stepping on others feelings, being rude, smug, or just plain lacking the basic fruits of the Spirit? All believers present an opportunity for the revealing of God's plan of salvation. Romans 10: 14-15 (Message) says, " How can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? How can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? How can they hear if no one tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?" Whenever an unbeliever meets a Christian, they should be face to face with everything they need to know in order to follow Christ. I look at most people I meet as seekers looking to discover their faith, increase it, verify it, prove it, share it, etc... and try not to get distracted by determining whether they are "one of us or not." Sadly, many modern day Christians can be similar to the Israelites of earlier days. So deeply involved with our own sin that we are completely disoriented to God and ill-equipped to direct others to Him. Again, I'm not just speaking of blatant, ugly, sin like anger, immorality, and addiction, but pride, greed, unforgiveness, lack of humility, and such. If our lives our filled with hypocrisy, we may turn people away from God, rather than helping them come to Him. If our lives are filled with doubt or anger, we may impede others from coming to Christ. Our lives ought to be a highway to holiness, providing easy access to God for anyone around us who is searching for him. Ask Him today to remove any obstacle in your life that hinders others from coming to know Jesus and expect the Holy Spirit to show reveal something to you about yourself. Blessings, Dave
Recovery perspective - Serenity prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
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