Hypocrisy and Sparrow Soup
Good Morning from a Partly Cloudy Bitterroot Valley;
It is already the 9th of February in case you’re keeping track. The almost full moon sinking behind clouds on the Bitterroot Mountains greets me out the window in the dark last hours of the early morning. Again a late post today. Both my wife and I have been fighting a flue bug and are spending a lot of time as couch potatoes but this to shall pass, (Soon I Hope!).
I have some words of both caution and encouragement from Luke chapter 12: 1-8 this morning.
1 Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
Synonyms for hypocrisy include: insincerity, two-facedness, falseness, double standard, and duplicity. We are to be on our guard not to fall into being a hypocrite. Why? Because everything we do and say will eventually become public knowledge. Now I admit that this will not happen for some things and some people until the Judgment Day, but we don’t know or control the future. We may hide some things for years but eventually they become known. I think what Jesus was saying is that you should not be doing or saying things which you do not wish to be exposed to the world.
Just over the last two days the media has been filled with a story that has surfaced about President Kennedy’s extra-marital affair, (called adultery in the Bible), with an intern in the White House in the early 1960’s. It may have taken 50 years, but it is certainly being proclaimed from the roof tops now, (referring to verse 3).
Often, as Christians, we are accused of being hypocrites. I believe that we are partly to blame for that because we can be hypocrites, but there can be other reasons for the accusations. Sometimes people throw out statements of condemnation to avoid confronting issues in their own life. Other times the accusations are actual attacks against Christians for their stand in following Christ. Jesus addressed these people in the following verses.
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Now when was the last time your life was threatened for what you believe? In other countries of the world it is common, but so far in America we have escaped such dangers. We should not be in fear of what others may call us or threaten us with if we are proclaiming the message of Christ.
Finally, a promise from scripture;
Sparrow and Robin. For more great photos see Ron's Corner link below.
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 8 “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
I haven’t seen sparrows for sale at the grocery store lately and I don’t have any recipes for sparrow soup. Seriously though, we are far more important to God than sparrows and yet he cares about every sparrow. How much more does he care for us! It is imperative that we care enough for those that are lost around us to share the message of salvation with them.
Until Tomorrow, (Lord willing)
Regular Joe
Related articles
- Ron’s Corner – Eavesdropping (freedomborn.wordpress.com)
- jinjersam.tumblr.com
P.S. Just another example of your words coming back to haunt you when you are being a hypocrite.
Facts:
From January 2001 until March 2006 the Federal Debt Limit was increased 4.6 Trillion dollars over 5 years. This was under President Bush and a Republican controlled Congress for the most part. This was wrong and reckless.
From July 2008 until February 2012 the Federal Debt has risen from $10.615 trillion to $16.4 Trillion or an increase of 5.8 Trillion over less than 4 years. This is even more reckless and certainly it flies in the face of Obama’s comments while campaigning in 2006! And remember that until the change of power in the House of Representatives in 2010, the Democrats controlled both houses and the Presidency.
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Posted on February 9, 2012, in DAILY DEVOTIONAL and tagged Bible, Christ, Christianity, Daily Devotional, God, Hypocrite, Jesus, Men's Daily Devotional, Mens Devotional, Pharisees, Son of man, White House. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Hi Joe, as Ron’s not here and I like to comment when needed on anyone’s Blog who does a pingback before I approve them, I thought I would share my thoughts with you on your message and then I will wait for your reply, Ron will be here tomorrow and I will show him.
Interesting points you raised, of course being Australian I’m not up to date with your Politics but we also have problems with our Leadership, still we do as God instructs us, if they don’t ask us to accept or do anything against God’s will we obey, if they do we stand strongly against it with God’s Truth, if it’s about money we Trust God to provide as Ron shared about the Sparrows and you did too. We are to respect their position, after all Christians have also put them in power or God would not have allowed them to be, we are His hands, arms, voice and feet and He will give us what we want when we agree together but like King Saul it may not be within His will so we will suffer the consequences, this is why we must follow His guidelines in all things
. In our Country because of promised funding many Christians voted for a professed Atheist Government and they were elected, but God tells us what does light and darkness have in common and now the Government is promoting very Secular and evil reforms in our Country according to God’s Truth, who do we blame.
God Loves us the way we are but too much to let us stay that way and He doesn’t want us or anyone else to accept our evil flesh Nature or to minimise the mistakes we have made in the past and have no regret so we make them again now or in the future. Of course if we have come to heart repentance we don’t have to bear guilt and shame but we do need to learn from our mistakes, as Paul did, he also claimed at one point that he was not perfected yet but later said he was and we too must aim for this.
We can only judge another by their words and actions as you are doing with Obama but we don’t know if they will come to repentance even on their death bed, so we are not to judge them for eternal damnation and we are not to judge their weaknesses and shortcomings only their sin according to God’s Truth and not our own agenda or we judge ourselves, we are also to continue to Love them and show it.
But when we do see they are sinning we are to go to them personally and ask them to give an account, not slander them publicly or behind their back or are we to listen to others who slander them behind their back, if we do we are bigger hypocrites then they are, but if they will not listen we go to those in Authority over us.
Yes there are exceptions such as when someone is genuinely asking for prayer for let’s say a troubled Marriage or violent Parents who claim to be Christian, or someone who is continuing to sin even after being warned etc these are not gossip but a call for Christian Love, Compassion and Unity and we see this confirmed in the Scriptures.
Thank you for your time – Christian Love Anne.
Hi Joe, I agree with Anne and with your message that God, forgives, provides and uplifts.
Cheers
Ron