Read Luke 12
At this point in His ministry, Jesus begins to “step on our toes” in mighty ways, beginning by challenging His disciples to “guard against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees” (Luke 12:1b, NIV84). So, what exactly does that mean? We know that the Pharisees were rule followers. They loved to brag about following the letter of the law, including all the extra rules they added, but they seldom took time to help others. That’s hypocrisy, and Jesus called them out on it time and again.
Unfortunately, most of us are hypocrites. Overcoming our hypocrisy starts with our heart. As Jesus said, we can’t hide our sins, so we must strive to live honestly in accordance with God’s will. Here are some directions Christ gave His disciples to avoid hypocrisy, and they are still applicable to our lives today.
- Fear God! God has the power to send us to hell. That doesn’t mean that is His desire, but if we fail to accept the gift He has given us—Jesus Christ—that is the ultimate result. God does not tolerate sin, so only the blood of Christ can make us clean. As a believer, we no longer must fear hell, but that does not mean that we no longer fear God. Every Christian should have a healthy fear of His power and majesty and show a reverence for who He is—Almighty God!
- Confess Christ before men! Accepting Christ as our Savior is our confession that we believe He is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, and that He was resurrected so that we could spend eternity with Him. However, our confession doesn’t stop there. We must be bold in our witness. Our mission is to tell a lost and dying world about our Savior, which requires us to continually confess Him before men.
- Determine our priorities! The foolish rich man in this chapter already had more than he needed, but still he wanted more. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, but when money becomes our god, we have lost sight of what our priorities should be. The man could have used the wealth to help others, but instead he built more barns to hoard it for himself. We must constantly reexamine our priorities to ensure they are aligned with God’s will.
- Don’t worry! When we learn to trust God completely, there’s no need to worry. He will provide all that we need, and so much more. Surrender your worries to God, and trust that He is still in control.
God loves us so much that He has even counted the hairs on our heads, but He also has clear expectations for us. Trust Him in everything and obey His directions. No matter what comes, He is still on His throne. Give Him all your praise!
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