By Gobel Brockman
"For God so loved the world..." John 3:16. Probably the most well-known verse in the entire Bible. Kids learn it in Sunday School classes at an early age. We see "JOHN 3:16" written on signs at sporting events. People who make no claims of being Christian can recite the verse from memory. But like most things we're familiar with, we sometimes take for granted the significance that it has to us. Our tendency is to get wrapped up in our little world and become so engrossed with the day-to-day cares of life that we forget that there's an entire world that God cares about.
I was reminded of this truth this past week. My wife and I just returned from our first cruise. We enjoyed it very much. We saw some incredible things and also spent some time on the beach doing nothing but keeping our beach chairs from moving. But for me, one of the highlights of the trip was our evening meals. Everyone is assigned a table for supper for the entire cruise. We were placed at a table for six. On the first night my wife and I were the first couple to arrive at our table. Soon the second couple arrived - a Cuban man married to a Puerto Rican lady, now living in Florida. Then the third couple arrived; a couple from China. The first night was very awkward because not only were we strangers, but there was a huge language barrier. The Chinese couple spoke very little English, and the wife barely spoke at all. The other couple could speak English, but it was apparent that it wasn't their first language. Communication was difficult, but we attempted it the best we could. But on the second night a hilarious thing happened. The Cuban man asked the Chinese man what he and his wife had done that day. In very broken, halting English, he pointed to his wife and said, "I like to do whatever she like to do." Then he pointed to the Cuban man and I and said, "You know how is, right?" We all had a good hearty laugh out of that.
I guess none of us are really that different.
"For God so loved the world..." I think where I'm going with this is simply to make this point: there's a great big world out there, filled with completely different cultures and practices, but deep down we're really not that different. People all over the world love their families, work at their jobs, struggle to make ends meet, and wonder if this is all there is to life. And the same God loves them all. From the Great Wall of China, to the shadows of Big Ben in London, to the inner cities of America where many feel forgotten. God loves them all. And He calls us to do the same. So let me take this opportunity to stick my nose in your business and ask a few questions: How much thought do you give to what's going on outside of your world? How much time do you devote to prayer for those who need it? How much money do you give to help those who can never repay you? (Yeah, I said it.) I will tell you that I could do much, much better in these areas, and I dare say that you would say the same. Twice in this article I've quoted the first line of John 3:16; now I'll quote the second line: "He gave..." This has a simple lesson for us all:
Love has a price to it.
As I've heard it said before, "You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." Love demands action. In God's case, it demanded the life of His son Jesus Christ. In our case, it demands obedience to whatever He calls us to do. Be it a demand on our time, our comfort, or our resources, a person that has been touched by the love of God will understand that John 3:16 is more than a verse to memorize in Sunday School to earn a sticker or a sign in an end zone. It's a call to believe in a God who loves and gives, and a call to be willing to give like God desires.
I know that I will probably never see those couples again, but I will always think of them and be thankful for the reminder that "God so loved the world..."
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
The Incredible Power Of "I Don't Know"
By Gobel Brockman
For those who read this devotional on a regular basis, I want you to know that I thoroughly enjoy writing them. There are some weeks when I know exactly what I want to say, and the words can't come fast enough from my two typing fingers. There are some weeks I hope to encourage folks, and some weeks I hope to get people to ask themselves honest and hard questions. Through every one I hope to point people to Jesus as their only hope, for that's exactly what He is. But I'm going to let you in on a little secret: there are some weeks I log in to my Blogger account with absolutely no idea what to say. This week was one of those times.
Oh, there are many things I could talk about - it's Memorial Day weekend after all. But just about everyone will be talking about that this weekend, from news channels to Facebook posts. So I tried to think of various subjects - a parable or miracle of Jesus, a profound truth from Paul or one of the other apostles, or perhaps a story with a powerful point that most could relate to. Nothing. For several moments I just sat with my eyes glued on an empty computer screen. My two typing fingers were poised and ready to go, but my brain wasn't. I had nothing.
But then a thought hit me - that's exactly how life is. There have been times when I've known exactly what I needed to do, and other times when I couldn't buy a good idea with a blank check signed by Publisher's Clearinghouse. There have been many times when I have prayed and the answer seemed to come before the words had finished leaving my mouth. There are other things I've been praying about for years with no apparent change coming. Sometimes people will ask me for my opinion or advice and I will know exactly what they need to hear, and there are other times when all I can say is, "I'll be praying with you about it." As a young minister (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) I had the mindset that I needed to have all the answers. After all, I was the 'man of the cloth.' When someone came to me with a problem or a question, I needed to be ready with an answer. That sounds good in theory, but I learned pretty quickly that it just isn't reality. Thankfully, I finally learned something else as well:
That's exactly how it should be.
You see, if some man had all the answers, could explain every mystery and heal every disease, people would look to him instead of where they should be looking - Jesus Christ, the one who DOES have all the answers, can explain every mystery and heal every disease. Mankind always wants to find someone they can look up to, but every time they think they have they are sadly and sometimes tragically disappointed.
So I long ago stopped putting pressure on myself to be "The Answer Man." Yes, I'm a minister. Yes, I've been studying the Bible for years and by God's grace, I have learned a lot from it. Yes, I'm old enough now that I've had some experiences that others can hopefully learn from (including my mistakes.) But there will be times when you may ask me a question either about the Bible or a situation in your life where you need direction, and I won't have an answer. In those times I've learned it's OK to say "I don't know, but we can pray together and ask the one Who does." You see, being a follower of Jesus Christ is a life-long learning experience. Sometimes He gives us the answers right away, and sometimes He blindsides us and gives us a pop quiz when we least expect it. And I thank God for the entire journey. Having no clue what you're doing or where He's leading you can be really exciting.
I look forward to next week's devotional. I don't know what I'll talk about yet, and I don't know if my brain will be ready. But my two typing fingers will be.
For those who read this devotional on a regular basis, I want you to know that I thoroughly enjoy writing them. There are some weeks when I know exactly what I want to say, and the words can't come fast enough from my two typing fingers. There are some weeks I hope to encourage folks, and some weeks I hope to get people to ask themselves honest and hard questions. Through every one I hope to point people to Jesus as their only hope, for that's exactly what He is. But I'm going to let you in on a little secret: there are some weeks I log in to my Blogger account with absolutely no idea what to say. This week was one of those times.
Oh, there are many things I could talk about - it's Memorial Day weekend after all. But just about everyone will be talking about that this weekend, from news channels to Facebook posts. So I tried to think of various subjects - a parable or miracle of Jesus, a profound truth from Paul or one of the other apostles, or perhaps a story with a powerful point that most could relate to. Nothing. For several moments I just sat with my eyes glued on an empty computer screen. My two typing fingers were poised and ready to go, but my brain wasn't. I had nothing.
But then a thought hit me - that's exactly how life is. There have been times when I've known exactly what I needed to do, and other times when I couldn't buy a good idea with a blank check signed by Publisher's Clearinghouse. There have been many times when I have prayed and the answer seemed to come before the words had finished leaving my mouth. There are other things I've been praying about for years with no apparent change coming. Sometimes people will ask me for my opinion or advice and I will know exactly what they need to hear, and there are other times when all I can say is, "I'll be praying with you about it." As a young minister (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) I had the mindset that I needed to have all the answers. After all, I was the 'man of the cloth.' When someone came to me with a problem or a question, I needed to be ready with an answer. That sounds good in theory, but I learned pretty quickly that it just isn't reality. Thankfully, I finally learned something else as well:
That's exactly how it should be.
You see, if some man had all the answers, could explain every mystery and heal every disease, people would look to him instead of where they should be looking - Jesus Christ, the one who DOES have all the answers, can explain every mystery and heal every disease. Mankind always wants to find someone they can look up to, but every time they think they have they are sadly and sometimes tragically disappointed.
So I long ago stopped putting pressure on myself to be "The Answer Man." Yes, I'm a minister. Yes, I've been studying the Bible for years and by God's grace, I have learned a lot from it. Yes, I'm old enough now that I've had some experiences that others can hopefully learn from (including my mistakes.) But there will be times when you may ask me a question either about the Bible or a situation in your life where you need direction, and I won't have an answer. In those times I've learned it's OK to say "I don't know, but we can pray together and ask the one Who does." You see, being a follower of Jesus Christ is a life-long learning experience. Sometimes He gives us the answers right away, and sometimes He blindsides us and gives us a pop quiz when we least expect it. And I thank God for the entire journey. Having no clue what you're doing or where He's leading you can be really exciting.
I look forward to next week's devotional. I don't know what I'll talk about yet, and I don't know if my brain will be ready. But my two typing fingers will be.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
I'd Give My Right Arm To Be Ambidextrious
By Gobel Brockman
There are many things that I'm am guilty of; being a 'handyman' has never been one of them. For most guys a hammer or wrench in their hands is a valuable tool. For me, they're a dangerous weapon - to me and to anyone who may be standing nearby. Give me a wrench or screwdriver and my hand - and more importantly, my brain - will go numb. The simplest of household tasks will become huge undertakings for me. Red Green is better at home repairs than I am. (If you're familiar with The Red Green Show, you know that's not a good thing.) I will admit that I sometimes become quite embarrassed by my inability to 'work with my hands.' After all, if you're a guy, that's what guys do. Except for this guy. I have to ask for help with tasks that most men could complete in less than 15 minutes. Again, I sometimes feel horrible about this.
I am a musician. God has blessed me with the ability to play music. I've never became overly proficient on one instrument, but I've been able to become 'adequate' on a few. God has also blessed me over the years in doing some songwriting. None have ever been published, but a few people over the years have shared with me that a particular song has been a blessing to them at a particular point in their lives. That is an incredible blessing to hear, and I give God all of the glory for those times.
The reason I mention all of this is that there have been a few times in my life when I wished I could trade some of my musical gifts for a little bit of mechanical know-how. As I mentioned earlier, it's quite humbling to have to admit that the simplest task is over your head. But as I've thought along those lines, this thought always come to me: the same God who gave me any musical ability I have is the same God who gives those guys the ability to do what they do. The Bible says in James that "Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights..." Which brings me to an interesting point: we always seem to want what someone else has instead of being thankful for what we do have. Over the years I've seen many people try to do things they want to do instead of what they are gifted to do. People who have a singing voice that sounds like Gilbert Gottfried with laryngitis shouldn't try to sing solos in church - no matter how much they want to. Guys like me shouldn't volunteer to help with the Sunday School room remodeling project. (And trust me, I don't. I help by staying out of their way. They seem to appreciate that!)
The apostle Paul touched on this in I Corinthians 12. He told them that as Christians, we are different parts of the body of Christ. He went on to tell them that the eye can't say, "Because I'm not the ear, I'm not part of the body...If the whole body were the eye, where is the hearing? If the whole body were the ear, where is the smelling?" That is a powerful Scripture for me, because it teaches a simple yet profound truth: everyone has something that they can contribute to the body of Christ. Instead of focusing on all the things you can't do, recognize that the abilities that you do have were given to you by God, and He gave you those gifts to glorify Him. Sometimes the church needs a song. Sometimes it needs a toilet repaired. Sometimes someone in the church needs a few meals prepared for them as they are going through a difficult time. (Another area where I help by staying out of the way.) Someone else may need someone who's a great listener with an incredible amount of wisdom. Somewhere, someone needs the gifts that God has blessed you with. When you allow Him to use you in those gifts, people will be blessed by it. And I promise you this - even if no one else notices, God will.
Rejoice and give glory to God in the gifts He has given you. Allow Him to use you to minister to others. If you need my help fixing something in your house, I'll help by giving you a few phone numbers of handymen I know.
There are many things that I'm am guilty of; being a 'handyman' has never been one of them. For most guys a hammer or wrench in their hands is a valuable tool. For me, they're a dangerous weapon - to me and to anyone who may be standing nearby. Give me a wrench or screwdriver and my hand - and more importantly, my brain - will go numb. The simplest of household tasks will become huge undertakings for me. Red Green is better at home repairs than I am. (If you're familiar with The Red Green Show, you know that's not a good thing.) I will admit that I sometimes become quite embarrassed by my inability to 'work with my hands.' After all, if you're a guy, that's what guys do. Except for this guy. I have to ask for help with tasks that most men could complete in less than 15 minutes. Again, I sometimes feel horrible about this.
I am a musician. God has blessed me with the ability to play music. I've never became overly proficient on one instrument, but I've been able to become 'adequate' on a few. God has also blessed me over the years in doing some songwriting. None have ever been published, but a few people over the years have shared with me that a particular song has been a blessing to them at a particular point in their lives. That is an incredible blessing to hear, and I give God all of the glory for those times.
The reason I mention all of this is that there have been a few times in my life when I wished I could trade some of my musical gifts for a little bit of mechanical know-how. As I mentioned earlier, it's quite humbling to have to admit that the simplest task is over your head. But as I've thought along those lines, this thought always come to me: the same God who gave me any musical ability I have is the same God who gives those guys the ability to do what they do. The Bible says in James that "Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights..." Which brings me to an interesting point: we always seem to want what someone else has instead of being thankful for what we do have. Over the years I've seen many people try to do things they want to do instead of what they are gifted to do. People who have a singing voice that sounds like Gilbert Gottfried with laryngitis shouldn't try to sing solos in church - no matter how much they want to. Guys like me shouldn't volunteer to help with the Sunday School room remodeling project. (And trust me, I don't. I help by staying out of their way. They seem to appreciate that!)
The apostle Paul touched on this in I Corinthians 12. He told them that as Christians, we are different parts of the body of Christ. He went on to tell them that the eye can't say, "Because I'm not the ear, I'm not part of the body...If the whole body were the eye, where is the hearing? If the whole body were the ear, where is the smelling?" That is a powerful Scripture for me, because it teaches a simple yet profound truth: everyone has something that they can contribute to the body of Christ. Instead of focusing on all the things you can't do, recognize that the abilities that you do have were given to you by God, and He gave you those gifts to glorify Him. Sometimes the church needs a song. Sometimes it needs a toilet repaired. Sometimes someone in the church needs a few meals prepared for them as they are going through a difficult time. (Another area where I help by staying out of the way.) Someone else may need someone who's a great listener with an incredible amount of wisdom. Somewhere, someone needs the gifts that God has blessed you with. When you allow Him to use you in those gifts, people will be blessed by it. And I promise you this - even if no one else notices, God will.
Rejoice and give glory to God in the gifts He has given you. Allow Him to use you to minister to others. If you need my help fixing something in your house, I'll help by giving you a few phone numbers of handymen I know.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
One Step Too Far
By Gobel Brockman
I heard this story several years ago. I've never been able to find out if it is a true story or just "Internet folklore" (even after consulting Google.) So the following story may or may not be fact, but the lessons we can learn from it definitely are:
A young lady in her early 20's went on a Caribbean vacation by herself. She made the decision before she left that she was going to do something completely out of character for her - she was going to meet a guy and have a weekend "fling" with no thoughts of ever contacting the man again. Shortly after arriving, she did just that, meeting a guy at the hotel bar. They only exchanged first names and spent the weekend together. At the end of her vacation the man accompanied her to the airport. As she was about to board her flight, the man gave her a small wrapped present and said, "This is for you. All I ask is that you wait until the plane is airborne before you open it." She agreed and they kissed goodbye. Once the plane lifted, she opened the present. She was shocked beyond words at what was inside - a small, plastic object shaped like a casket. She opened the lid and the man had left a note in it containing only three words:
I have AIDS.
Again, I've not been able to confirm that this specific story is true. Sadly however, the tragedy that happened to the young lady in the story has happened immeasurable times in the course of history. Two co-workers 'innocently' flirting in the break room eventually becoming two families torn apart by adultery and divorce. (Proving there's no such thing as "innocent flirting.") One 'harmless' little joint quickly dragging its victim into a life of dependency and despondency. A wager on a ball game that's 'just for fun' - until the victim of gambling soon finds himself homeless after losing everything. The list is endless - and painfully sad. "I can handle it" is one of the biggest lies mankind has ever tried to tell himself. The truth of the matter is found in Proverbs 6:27 - "Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?" Or, to put it in our vernacular, "Play with fire, you get burned."
You may find yourself in a situation like this right now. You've always struggled with alcohol dependency, things aren't going too great right now, and a beer would taste pretty good. Perhaps a friend or co-worker seems like a really nice person that actually pays attention to you, and things aren't so great at home right now. You may be in a financial strait and a little paper shuffling that 'no one will notice' just might make life a little easier for the moment. STOP. Those aren't pleasant alternatives, they're smoldering coals that have nothing in mind but your destruction, and if you grab ahold of them, pain will soon be your companion. I have a better solution. No, I have the only solution - Jesus. In Hebrews 4:15 it says that Jesus is "...a High Priest who understands our weakness, for He was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin." That verse simply says that Jesus faced the same things we faced, and defeated every temptation. He has the strength and power to get us through every temptation we face today. Run to Him. He'll get you through this. The temporary 'fix' isn't worth it.
I leave you with this thought: a well-known shoe company once had a magazine ad of a Roman gladiator in the arena facing a lion. The gladiator had dropped his sword, and the lion was in mid-air, about to pounce. The look on the man's face was a look of terror. The caption under the picture said this:
Sometimes you can't afford to come in second.
The fleeting pleasure, the temptation to do wrong, the 'one time won't hurt' mentality is the lion. The gladiator is you and I. Let's not come in second. We can't afford it.
I heard this story several years ago. I've never been able to find out if it is a true story or just "Internet folklore" (even after consulting Google.) So the following story may or may not be fact, but the lessons we can learn from it definitely are:
A young lady in her early 20's went on a Caribbean vacation by herself. She made the decision before she left that she was going to do something completely out of character for her - she was going to meet a guy and have a weekend "fling" with no thoughts of ever contacting the man again. Shortly after arriving, she did just that, meeting a guy at the hotel bar. They only exchanged first names and spent the weekend together. At the end of her vacation the man accompanied her to the airport. As she was about to board her flight, the man gave her a small wrapped present and said, "This is for you. All I ask is that you wait until the plane is airborne before you open it." She agreed and they kissed goodbye. Once the plane lifted, she opened the present. She was shocked beyond words at what was inside - a small, plastic object shaped like a casket. She opened the lid and the man had left a note in it containing only three words:
I have AIDS.
Again, I've not been able to confirm that this specific story is true. Sadly however, the tragedy that happened to the young lady in the story has happened immeasurable times in the course of history. Two co-workers 'innocently' flirting in the break room eventually becoming two families torn apart by adultery and divorce. (Proving there's no such thing as "innocent flirting.") One 'harmless' little joint quickly dragging its victim into a life of dependency and despondency. A wager on a ball game that's 'just for fun' - until the victim of gambling soon finds himself homeless after losing everything. The list is endless - and painfully sad. "I can handle it" is one of the biggest lies mankind has ever tried to tell himself. The truth of the matter is found in Proverbs 6:27 - "Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?" Or, to put it in our vernacular, "Play with fire, you get burned."
You may find yourself in a situation like this right now. You've always struggled with alcohol dependency, things aren't going too great right now, and a beer would taste pretty good. Perhaps a friend or co-worker seems like a really nice person that actually pays attention to you, and things aren't so great at home right now. You may be in a financial strait and a little paper shuffling that 'no one will notice' just might make life a little easier for the moment. STOP. Those aren't pleasant alternatives, they're smoldering coals that have nothing in mind but your destruction, and if you grab ahold of them, pain will soon be your companion. I have a better solution. No, I have the only solution - Jesus. In Hebrews 4:15 it says that Jesus is "...a High Priest who understands our weakness, for He was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin." That verse simply says that Jesus faced the same things we faced, and defeated every temptation. He has the strength and power to get us through every temptation we face today. Run to Him. He'll get you through this. The temporary 'fix' isn't worth it.
I leave you with this thought: a well-known shoe company once had a magazine ad of a Roman gladiator in the arena facing a lion. The gladiator had dropped his sword, and the lion was in mid-air, about to pounce. The look on the man's face was a look of terror. The caption under the picture said this:
Sometimes you can't afford to come in second.
The fleeting pleasure, the temptation to do wrong, the 'one time won't hurt' mentality is the lion. The gladiator is you and I. Let's not come in second. We can't afford it.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
I Can See Your Faults. I Could See Mine - If I Had Any....
By Gobel Brockman
Many years ago I had a co-worker that was a good man, a good worker, and someone I considered a friend. We had a lot of good times and shared many laughs together. The one exception was when the subject of religion came up. He was convinced that there was no God, and had little patience for the subject. Any mention of God, church, or the Bible was met with derision. I rarely brought the subject up if he was around because I knew where he stood. Then one day, something changed. A close family member had been diagnosed with a potentially serious medical condition, and this self-proclaimed atheist did the unexpected: he came to me and asked me to say a prayer for the loved one. I was glad to do so, and very happy to report that the person in question was fine, but the situation caused me to have this thought: "I guess even atheists have hypocrites."
"Hypocrisy." The proclaiming of one thing while practicing the opposite, or the judgement of other people's faults while being guilty of the same things yourself. I've heard many objections to Christianity in my lifetime, and "too many hypocrites in the church" is one of the ones I've heard most often. It's also the first one that I reject outright. Not because there aren't hypocrites in the church, because there are. Every Sunday. Always have been, always will be until Jesus returns. How do I know that? Simple:
WE'RE ALL HYPOCRITES SOMETIMES.
"How dare you say that? You don't know me!" Well, stick with me. If hypocrisy is proclaiming to be something you're not or being critical of others in things you're also guilty of, I'm afraid we've all been guilty of that in one way or another. Atheists who are almost belligerent in their opposition to Christianity asking Christians to pray for them when the first sign of trouble arises definitely fits the mold for me. But there are other ways to look at it that have nothing to do with religion. The person at work who is always criticizing their co-worker's work ethics, while spending a good portion of their work time updating their Facebook and Twitter statuses - is that hypocrisy? I believe so, since that's basically criticizing other's work while stealing time from your employer. (If you're reading this at work, I hope you're on a break.) How about the person who's an "expert" at telling everyone else how to raise their children, and then goes home and literally screams at their kids at the drop of a hat over things of little or no consequence? What about the driver who's complaining about other drivers who are doing 80 MPH in a 60 MPH zone, conveniently not noticing that they're doing 70 and breaking the law as well? I could go on, but you get my point. (It's in all caps above.) As it's been said many times before, when you point your finger at someone, look at your hand. There's one finger pointing at them, and three pointing back at you. Or as Jesus once said, "How can you get a speck out of your brother's eye when there's a plank in your own?"
I mentioned that I reject the "too many hypocrites" argument. One reason is simple - folks who make that argument have a VERY fine line to walk lest they be guilty of the same thing. Expecting perfection from humanity is a fruitless endeavor indeed. In my life I have been many things: son, brother, employee, husband, father, grandfather, Pastor, worship leader. In all of those there is one commonality: I have had times of failure. I haven't lived up to what I knew I should have done. I cannot go back and change that. What I can do is the same thing that everyone reading this can - look to Jesus, the only one who has ever walked this earth without hypocrisy. It is in Him that we find forgiveness for our failures and wisdom to know how to do what is right. I quoted Philippians 2:13 last week, and I think it's appropriate here as well: "It is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." Yes, I have failed many times. But God is still working in me. By His grace I stand. I have joy in my heart because I know He hasn't - and won't - give up on me. As Max Lucado once said, "God loves me just the way I am, but He refuses to leave me that way. He wants me to be just like Jesus."
The same goes for you as well.
Many years ago I had a co-worker that was a good man, a good worker, and someone I considered a friend. We had a lot of good times and shared many laughs together. The one exception was when the subject of religion came up. He was convinced that there was no God, and had little patience for the subject. Any mention of God, church, or the Bible was met with derision. I rarely brought the subject up if he was around because I knew where he stood. Then one day, something changed. A close family member had been diagnosed with a potentially serious medical condition, and this self-proclaimed atheist did the unexpected: he came to me and asked me to say a prayer for the loved one. I was glad to do so, and very happy to report that the person in question was fine, but the situation caused me to have this thought: "I guess even atheists have hypocrites."
"Hypocrisy." The proclaiming of one thing while practicing the opposite, or the judgement of other people's faults while being guilty of the same things yourself. I've heard many objections to Christianity in my lifetime, and "too many hypocrites in the church" is one of the ones I've heard most often. It's also the first one that I reject outright. Not because there aren't hypocrites in the church, because there are. Every Sunday. Always have been, always will be until Jesus returns. How do I know that? Simple:
WE'RE ALL HYPOCRITES SOMETIMES.
"How dare you say that? You don't know me!" Well, stick with me. If hypocrisy is proclaiming to be something you're not or being critical of others in things you're also guilty of, I'm afraid we've all been guilty of that in one way or another. Atheists who are almost belligerent in their opposition to Christianity asking Christians to pray for them when the first sign of trouble arises definitely fits the mold for me. But there are other ways to look at it that have nothing to do with religion. The person at work who is always criticizing their co-worker's work ethics, while spending a good portion of their work time updating their Facebook and Twitter statuses - is that hypocrisy? I believe so, since that's basically criticizing other's work while stealing time from your employer. (If you're reading this at work, I hope you're on a break.) How about the person who's an "expert" at telling everyone else how to raise their children, and then goes home and literally screams at their kids at the drop of a hat over things of little or no consequence? What about the driver who's complaining about other drivers who are doing 80 MPH in a 60 MPH zone, conveniently not noticing that they're doing 70 and breaking the law as well? I could go on, but you get my point. (It's in all caps above.) As it's been said many times before, when you point your finger at someone, look at your hand. There's one finger pointing at them, and three pointing back at you. Or as Jesus once said, "How can you get a speck out of your brother's eye when there's a plank in your own?"
I mentioned that I reject the "too many hypocrites" argument. One reason is simple - folks who make that argument have a VERY fine line to walk lest they be guilty of the same thing. Expecting perfection from humanity is a fruitless endeavor indeed. In my life I have been many things: son, brother, employee, husband, father, grandfather, Pastor, worship leader. In all of those there is one commonality: I have had times of failure. I haven't lived up to what I knew I should have done. I cannot go back and change that. What I can do is the same thing that everyone reading this can - look to Jesus, the only one who has ever walked this earth without hypocrisy. It is in Him that we find forgiveness for our failures and wisdom to know how to do what is right. I quoted Philippians 2:13 last week, and I think it's appropriate here as well: "It is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." Yes, I have failed many times. But God is still working in me. By His grace I stand. I have joy in my heart because I know He hasn't - and won't - give up on me. As Max Lucado once said, "God loves me just the way I am, but He refuses to leave me that way. He wants me to be just like Jesus."
The same goes for you as well.
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