Luke 12:1-3
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Recall the end of Luke 11 in which Jesus addresses the hypocrisy and dead religiosity of a group of Pharisees and religious experts. Then read Luke 12:1-3 taking note of anything that stands out to you.
It’s hard to stay humble when admirers are clamoring to be around you. Jesus knows that popularity and status are powerful magnets, so before he addresses the teeming throngs, he takes time to point out this precarious trap to his disciples.
The word “hypocrisy” means literally “playacting.” It’s basically putting on a mask or acting out the traits and personality of someone we are not. And Jesus explains that once someone begins playacting to please or impress others, hypocrisy takes hold and permeates all the way to the soul. Eventually the playactor may even forget who he or she really is in the midst of trying to maintain an image.
Stop to think about this for a moment. What is your natural reaction when someone thinks and speaks well of you? Are you able to accept another person’s admiration without becoming dependent on it? Talk this over with Jesus.
Read Luke 12:1-3 again.
Eventually our true character will come to light no matter how hard we pretend to be someone we are not. We may believe we are pulling off a convincing act, but hypocrisy will ultimately be exposed.
The antidote to hypocrisy is the admission that we are faulty, broken people who are in desperate need of Jesus. Jesus is the only one who can strip away the layers of our false selves and shape us into the people we were meant to be. And that is a life-long process.
Take some time to bring your weaknesses and failings to Jesus. Share openly with him about the ways you have erred or even deliberately sinned over the past few days or weeks. Then picture Jesus removing all these weaknesses, failings and sins from you and clothing you with his own righteousness and holiness. Stay with this for a while and pay attention to anything Jesus might want to say to you.
Is there anything Jesus might be inviting you to do or do differently today?
Will you?
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The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide ebook can help you learn how to recognize God's voice, how to read and understand the Bible, how to develop deep spiritual friendships, and how to become the person you were meant to be. Use it alone, with a friend or in a small group.
