PLAYING CHURCH

“You make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” (Matthew 23:25)

            When I was a very young boy my sister and I used to play church.  Because we lived on a farm and transportation was limited, we did not attend church.  Later when we moved to town, we did go to Sunday School regularly.  But apparently my sister, who was older than me, had attended earlier.  I can remember singing a hymn that she taught me and we went through the motions of playing church.

I recently read where a man posed as a decorated U. S. Marine.  He had been attending the funeral of a Marine and he was in full regalia with twenty-four medals.  It turned out that he had never been in the Marines, let alone win medals.  He was “playing Marine” and he was charged with a felony.  It made me wonder how many of us appear to be something that we really are not in God’s eyes.

Jesus seemed to save His most scathing condemnation for people who professed to be what they were not.  While all sin is wrong in God’s sight, there is much in the Bible that warns us against hypocrisy.  Also, in the Old Testament, God had some very critical accusations against Israel because, while they practiced the religious rituals, their hearts were far from Him.

When God chose David to be king He said that He was looking on the heart.  It causes me to ask myself if I am having the same relationship with God that I seem to have on the outside.  I have often said that there is a bit of hypocrisy in all of us.  Another saying of mine is that it is easier to be religious than to be spiritual.  That is, it is easier to simply go through the motions or do religious things than it is to have a sensitive relationship and communion with God.  Jesus reminded the woman at the well that those who worship the Father must worship Him in Spirit (from the heart) and in truth (without hypocrisy).  Let us be sure that we are not wearing a fake uniform or simply playing church.  Rev. Thomas D. Murray was a pastor in this area for many years. He was a giant of the faith and went home to be with Jesus several years ago. His devotional is featured in REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE.

Team YOU: Psalm 63-65; Proverbs 3; Romans 6

Motivations: The world, it seems to me, is divided into the wise, who know they are fools, and the fools, who think they are wise. Peter Kreeft

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 2:16; Level 2: Philippians 2:19-24

Powered Up:  Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon Go, or bending His will to our, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to his. John R. Stott