Let’s be honest, there is a lot more to being a disciple of Christ Jesus than merely saying some words or believing that there is a God. You can talk about the “man upstairs” or the “big guy in the sky,” but if your life does not change, if your actions do not reflect the life of Christ Jesus, I wonder if “accepting Christ” was a true conversion.
We have trivialized the path of salvation. We have made it an acknowledgement of words alone in many cases, without reminding people there is a cost to serving the LORD. After Paul reminded Timothy in his second letter that “The LORD knows those who are his,” he added. “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” [2 Tim 2:19]
If you have confessed Christ as your Savior, there must be a life-style change that reflects Him as LORD.
God spoke to Isaiah about the condition of the nation of Israel and He was not pleased with them: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” [29:13]
Jesus quoted Isaiah in Matthew 15:8 and Mark 7:6, using Isaiah’s verse as a warning to those He had labeled “hypocrites.” I know I fail God regularly, in my attitudes, when I doubt, when I sin, but I pray that I will always heed the conviction of His Spirit to turn and repent. I want my heart to never stray far from God. Failing is not hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is pretending Christ is our LORD (by our words) but refusing to honor Him in our hearts and actions. It would be a terrible thing to be labeled a hypocrite by our God.
Father, keep our hearts tender before you. May our actions honor You even more than our words.
