There’s a beautiful gospel song by Debra Snipes and The Angels entitled, “Let It Be Real.” The lyrics to the chorus say, Let it be real, real, real/ Let it be real, real, real/ Everything you do for the Master, let it be real. In times like these, God needs those who are going to be real about what they do for Him because there are so many souls yet to be saved. The Word says in Matthew 5:16 (ESV): “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The bottom line is that we should not say one thing and do another, especially when it comes to doing the work of the Lord. Let the best sermon that someone sees in you be the righteous life that you are living, not one you are just speaking.
Hypocrisy is clearly defined in I John 4:20 (ESV): “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” How can anyone go to church Sunday after Sunday, giving God all the honor and praises, come out of the church and throughout the week spew hate, turn away from those in need, pass by people and won’t speak, turn against others just out of the sake of pure meanness, but profess that he is a Christian? The signs of the times show that Jesus is on His way back, and He is coming for those who have been real in their witnessing. The Lord needs real soldiers in His army who will witness to others about the love of Jesus and will teach them how to believe and have faith.
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, there are things that you don’t say and do anymore. Therefore, if you are not real in your worship, people will know and will expose you to others. “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matthew 5:13 ESV).
Read and share this humorous illustration, “A Correct Assumption,” by an unknown author, demonstrating how someone can act one way, and in a different situation, show another way.
“A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
“The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone and makeup.
“As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
“He said, ‘I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday-School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally... I assumed you had stolen the car.’”
Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
