The wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (James 3:17).
I got a great new app. It’s called “Sincerity.” It automatically scrolls through my contacts list, picking names at random. It then matches each name to one of a list of encouraging Scripture passages. Once a day, it sends an uplifting message to the people in my life, letting them know that I’m thinking about them, and that I care deeply.
Except I’m not.
And I don’t.
OK, you’re right; there’s no such app. And if there were, it would be terrible. But, for a moment, you were thinking, “Hey…”
Weren’t you?
One of my favorite poems is called Psalm of Single-Mindedness, by Joe Bayly. It begins like this
Lord of reality, make me real.
Not plastic
Synthetic
Pretend
Phony
An actor playing out a part
Hypocrite.
I don’t want to keep a prayer list—I want to pray…
The poem goes on from there, but you get the picture. It has been my prayer so often that I have a copy of the poem taped to the inside cover of my Bible.
So, Beloved, are you walking into your day fueled by the knowledge of His love and the power of that love to change the lives around you…or are you just saying what you know you’re supposed to say and doing what you know you’re supposed to do?
Don’t rush past this—chew on it for a bit.
There’s no power in going through the motions.
Even if they’re good motions.
May I make a suggestion? Pray that God would blast through your hypocrisy today. Pray that he would rub your soul raw, that you might feel this world as he does. Pray that God would break your heart all over again.
It will be painful, disturbing, dangerous maybe.
But…
Don’t just walk like you mean it, Beloved.
Mean it.
Ouch! Jesus wrote on sand. This on sandpaper. Thanks, Michael. To be truly effective as Christian Poets & Writers, we have to get real with God, ourselves, and our readers. To encourage that thought, I’ll highlight your post on the Christian Poets & Writers blog with my blessings – http://www.christianpoetsandwriters.com.