From the Shepherd’s Heart

Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 7, 2017

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

No one trusts a hypocrite! Hypocrites say one thing and do another. Hypocrites are inconsistent and unreliable. Hypocrites change what they say and do so with the change of the wind. Another truth is that hypocrites seem to be everywhere, even the church.

Probably, no one strives to be hypocritical. There are no rewards given for being “Hypocrite of the Year.” Rarely is one celebrated for being “two faced.” Seldom is a child saying, “I want to be a hypocrite when I grow up.”

Most people back into hypocritical lifestyles. It occurs when people wish to change an area of their life without giving up the old way they were living. There are people in some fitness center trying to lose weight, but they haven’t changed their eating habits. And with the lack of dropping the old lifestyle, the new lifestyle will seem futile and they will soon forget the fitness center and revert back to the fork.

 Spiritually, hypocritical lifestyles occur the same way. We wish to change our lives without giving up the old way. Old friendships continue to draw us to old habits. Old entertainment plants thoughts and desires in our minds that conflict with our new direction in life. The divided lifestyle is as peaceful as a dog guarding two bones.

 Let us notice, as in life, so it is spiritually, that divided hearts produce unreliable love. God wants to be the ultimate love of our life. He is never satisfied when we offer the Lord what is left from our other affections.

 Also, notice that unreliable love produces compromised lifestyles. One who loves enough, lives to never disappoint those they love. It is when we don’t care what they think that we begin to make choices that damage our relationship. The Lord grieves when we walk away from him for some momentary pleasure.

 We need to remember, commitment is the cure for being a hypocrite. I celebrate my commitment in marriage, not only by saying “I love you” to one special lady, but also by leaving all the other ladies I once dated alone. So true spiritually, I celebrate my commitment to the Lord by expressing my commitment to Him and by leaving all other allegiances of the past alone.

May we not be the next hypocrite someone sees!

Dr. John A. Temple is pastor of Poplar Springs Drive Baptist Church, located at 4032 Poplar Springs Drive in Meridian. Visit the church website online at www. psdbc.org.