I’m writing this post for me, but I hope God gives you something out of it, too.
I’ve been on a hypocrisy kick lately. I’m starting to see hypocrisy more than I’d like, even (and sometimes especially) in people that I never thought would be this way. I know we’re all humans, and I don’t know a single human, Christian or otherwise, that isn’t a hypocrite. But hypocrisy still bothers me – especially when it comes from those who shouldn’t be like that.
I’m seeing a lot of hypocrisy in Christians. Not that I don’t see it in others, but it really sticks out to me when it’s us. I’d like to say it’s only from people who just say they are Christians, but as far as I know it is coming from those of us who actually are saved and born again believers in Christ. Yes, I mean us. I do this, too.
I’m just as messed up as you are. You’re just as messed up as I am. We look down on others. We focus on lesser things, tiny things that don’t really matter. We try to act and behave the way we should, but we don’t bother to actually BE the way we should.
I don’t think we fully understand that to obey is better than sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22). What good is our lip-service and show (sacrifice)? Why don’t we actually obey God, too?! It isn’t that sacrifice is bad, it just means nothing if you don’t obey. (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42)
We say one thing and do another. We act like everyone else, even though God told us we’re supposed to be different. We say, “Oh, this is bad,” but then make every stupid excuse for ourselves when we do it. We say, “Oh, this is good,” and then find every stupid excuse not to do it. Sometimes we make no excuses and just blatantly do or do not.
Stop it. Just, all of us need to stop it. Everyone else knows this is hypocrisy, and it really puts a bad taste in their mouths. It’s hypocrites like us that make people think that God isn’t powerful or loving. It’s hypocrites like us that make other people think that maybe God doesn’t even exist at all.
I suppose you can tell how much hypocrisy irks me. I don’t know the details of your hypocrisy, but I sure do know mine and it irritates me to no end! And by irritates, I mean that I can’t think of the right word for it. It goes beyond irritation. It goes beyond anger. It fills me with ire. I hate the sin that I see in me. But I don’t think it enrages me enough. If it did, I’d do something about my own hypocrisy. But whenever I do, I end up thinking that’s all I have to do and I don’t do any maintenance. I just fall right back where I was before, if not further.
I know of people who are not Christians that are doing better with their lives than I am. They are making a difference. They’re trying to be better people. They’re inspiring other people to do better and to be better. They care about others very much. They make it a point to be encouraging. They make it a point for others to be encouraging. They see things that Christians should be seeing. Sometimes they even say things that Christians should be saying. Even if it is not always said from the correct standpoint, there are a lot of good points that come from these people.
I think it should shake us awake when it generally seems that non-Christians are more friendly than Christians are. It looks like this is mostly an American problem, but it still stinks and it’s still bad.
We need to stop our own hypocrisy and get to where God intends us to be. We need to be actual Christians, Christ-like, behaving like Jesus Himself.