The Hypocritical Church

I’ll say it…and even admit to being one at times, but there are a lot of hypocrites in the church. I mean the ones that look down their nose at you and are doing just as much dirt – if not more. I mean the stand in the pulpit but got a mistress and a side chic, embezzling the building funds while preaching about tithing type. OK…I’ve never been that bad. But you get the point. Folks in the church just as lost and sinful as the ones on the street – we just pretend better.

We can have and know the Word but if we, the church, aren’t following it we’re no better than someone who never knew God. We want to act like we have it all together – we don’t. And that should be the last reason why we scold someone else for not living right.  John 8 speaks of a woman caught in adultery. Keyword being “caught.”  We want to point the finger and persecute those whose sins are evident. We feel better highlighting what someone else did. What about us? What about what we did… but didn’t get caught. Her sin was brought before the masses, but how much more do we do behind closed doors?

The crowd is so ready to judge and punish her until Jesus says, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7) Can you imagine the silence that fell over the crowd? Jesus probably sat there and had a sip of tea while he waited. The same people who came to see her stoned had to slowly sneak away – admitting their own guilt.

Imagine if at Sunday’s service, pastor asks for us to confess our sins to the crowd. Let’s be real…we’re not ready. So stop being so ready to throw someone else's dirt in their face. The church should be welcoming to sinners wanting to be saved. What good is a hospital that only admits healthy people? Or a restaurant that only serves full people? The church is for us – those who are inherently sinful wanting to be better.

 

 

 

Why All the Hoes are Getting Married

It’s Valentine’s season, people are in love, and couples are getting engaged. Guaranteed there is a woman somewhere getting a ring and other women are in disbelief that she’s getting wifed up because she was a little promiscuous in her past. These other women are probably thinking about how they’ve lived “right” and go to church and how they deserve a good man and a ring. They’re sitting there complaining and at least one of them will say, “how come all the hoes getting married?”

It’s not our place to judge or question why something is happening in another’s life. But here’s what the word says, “But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust.” (1 Cor 7:9). So basically, if you can’t keep your legs closed or keep it in your pants – go ahead and get married, you’re biblically married anyway.

Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying; non- promiscuous people get married too. Those aren’t usually the people that everyone wants to judge and second guess. So for the rest of us have the strength to wait… so stop complaining and be patient.  What God has laid for us will happen in due time and now just isn’t your time. Don’t be in a rush or envious of what someone else has… you’ll end up with the wrong one.

 
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” (Proverbs 18:22)

 
Mystery solved.

God Knows My Heart

 

The other day I had a thought – a very honest, blunt and extremely fleshy thought. Something I may never say out loud to another person, but I don’t need too. The moment I thought it, I realized I wasn’t ready for the situation - because if it came to pass I had already declared I wasn’t going to act right. I need time to get my mind right. No one else knows the thought but me and God. Only He knows my true thoughts, wants, & motives. He honestly “knows my heart.”  My heart may be hidden from man, but not from God.

“What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart…out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:18-19).

I hate when I hear people use “God knows my heart” to excuse their behavior. This is actually the worst excuse because of how true it is! If you read Matthew 5 it gives us guidance on how God is less concerned with your actions than the feelings behind them.

Knowing God’s word is worthless if you’re not going to follow it (5:20) It’s not enough to not commit murder, we shouldn’t even be angry – a feeling (5:22). Adultery is wrong and mentally lusting over someone is just as bad (5:28). Wow! It’s hard enough to not to act fleshly – but now I can even THINK IT!

God is not concerned with our physical circumcision but the word tells us that “circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by a written law (Romans 2:29)”.

So yes, God knows your filthy, sin filled fleshy heart – and He will continue to work on you and you should do right because you love him.