Thought of the Day !!

So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing.
1 Peter 2:1 (NLT)

There are many more things that we could add to Peter's list of stuff to rid ourselves of. The point is that after we're born again through the Holy Spirit we are to put a stop to the kinds of behavior that used to rule us. This may not happen over night, so don't fool yourself into believing that people who are Christians are automatically going to become saints. But at the same time, we don't just "pretend to be good", as Peter puts it, while all along living another way. This is hypocrisy. And Jesus don't want nothing to do with no hypocrites. He showed that while he was here on earth in human form.

The Christian contemporary group D.C. Talk has a song that begins with these lyrics.

"What an unbelieving world finds unbelievable
is Christians that acknowledge Jesus with their lips
and deny him with their lifestyles.
That's what an unbelieving world finds so unbelievable."
(quoted by memory - please forgive me if not exact wording)

The key is to realize that we're not perfect, but that we're trying to be. At the same time we must realize that the people around us are in the same boat. Some have matured in their Christian faith more than others, while some are still in the infant stages. Just be true to Christ in whatever stage of maturity you are in, and don't try to pretend you're something your not. But also never settle for where you are in your relationship with Christ and with one another. Always be striving for perfection in Christlike love, therefore growing in Christian maturity.

If we would all do this, an unbelieving world would see no hypocrisy in those who call themselves believers.

In the love of Christ,
greg