Archives For hypocrisy

Ash Wednesday—Applied Every Day

Ash Wednesday seems like an odd tradition to those who don’t observe it.

Think about it. The ashes of burned crosses from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are saved. Then, a clergyman or layman rubs the cinders on the foreheads of “the faithful” in the shape of a cross.

(Speaking of ashes, the holiday also represents “National No Smoking Day” in Ireland.)

Ash Wednesday . . . Every Day Ash Wednesday—Applied Every Day

(Photo: By Oxh973, Jennifer Balaska. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

So what’s the point of wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday? The cinder residue is reminiscent of the biblical act of repenting “in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).

Many Christians have no connection with Ash Wednesday’s tradition.

But we all have need of what it represents.

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How to Avoid Personal Hypocrisy

Ever tried to tell if someone is authentic or phony? It isn’t easy.

It gets even tougher when we look at ourselves.

vivozoom 21516316 w How to Avoid Personal Hypocrisy

Photo: Tyler Olson, via Vivozoom

I remember seeing at Masada a one-inch painted black line running across the walls of the ruins. This line revealed the division between the original ruins below and the modern reconstruction built directly on top of it.

Unfortunately, we have no black line running down our lives and behaviors to reveal the division between the authentic and the phony. The line often seems easy to see in the lives of others, but discerning the hypocrite in ourselves?

That’s a challenge, even when we’re looking for it.

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Serving in the Lip Service [Podcast]

Mark 7:1-23
Jesus reminds us that a person’s appearance and even behavior can be misleading. There were people in Jesus’ day who looked impressive, but their hearts were far from God. They drew near to God with their lips—their words—but that’s it.

Let’s look beyond our starched shirts and beautiful blouses to the heart that lies beneath them. Evaluate the product of your heart. Do you strive for purity inside as well as out?

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Serving in the Lip Service [Podcast]

Jesus and the God Squad [Podcast]

Mark 2:23-3:6

We have to watch out for our attitudes toward rules. When we pick our favorite ones, we can overlook those more essential. The Pharisees’ crowing leaned on rules as the way to God. But Jesus’ revealed that rules for rules’ sake are never God’s will.

In fact, they can actually keep us from doing good—and from meeting needs.

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Jesus and the God Squad [Podcast]

Bad Company [Podcast]

Mark 2:13-22

When questioned why He hung around “sinners,” Jesus answered that the sick need healing, not the healthy.

The religious were preoccupied—as many are today—with rituals and rules; but Jesus spent His time in relationships with those who needed Him—and those who would receive Him.

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Bad Company [Podcast]

Judge Not, Why Not? Dealing with Hypocrisy [Podcast]

Matthew 7:1-5

“Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Our culture’s favorite quote by Jesus is seldom read in context.

Jesus isn’t teaching that judgments are never to be made. But that before judging, we are to examine our own lives so that we can see clearly—rather than hypocritically.

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Judge Not, Why Not? Dealing with Hypocrisy [Podcast]

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Sham I Am [Podcast]

Zechariah 7

Feel like you’re wearing a mask? Then consider the question Zechariah suggests: do your religious rituals reflect a life for God’s benefit or efforts to satisfy self?

Since empty ritual reflects an empty relationship, we should walk with God sincerely . . . and shed the shams.

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Sham I Am [Podcast]

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Inside, Outside, Upside-Down [Podcast]

Micah 6-7

Sometimes we live upside-down lives. While God wants us to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly—often our inner lives of faith become little more than going through the motions on the outside.

But God offers hope for those who get our inside and outside upside down—for there is no God like ours.

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A Christian’s Creature Comforts [Podcast]

Jonah 4

Jonah showed himself more disturbed over a plant withering than an entire city being destroyed. Don’t look so pious! Haven’t we all defined our commitment to the God’s work in terms of what’s convenient? Jonah teaches us that our priorities should not be defined by creature comforts, but by God’s commands.

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