Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer (Matthew 23:1-3, the Message)
The religious leaders in Jesus’ day were well respected. They were considered by many to be ‘holy,’ but when Jesus appeared on the scene, He openly rebuked their hypocrisy. They honored God with their words, but their hearts were far from Him (Mark 7:6).
There are days when life is hard, our struggles loom large, and the face we put on for others may not necessarily line up with what’s going on deep within our heart.
God knows when we genuinely struggle and we’re seeking Him for help, and when we’re just putting on a show. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does call us to be real.
Attending church, participating in Bible studies, and serving in several ministries while we smile and follow man made rules might make us look good on the outside, but it doesn’t make us holy. Holiness requires obedience to Gods ways, and is evident in the way we think and the way we live. Scripture gives us a few guidelines for holiness:
Keep pure (1 Timothy 5:22)
Be attentive to righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:34)
Depart from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19)
Hate evil; love good (Romans 12:9)
Fear God (2 Corinthians 7:1)
Hypocrisy is just as prevalent today as it was in Jesus day. Many can talk a good talk and put on a good show, but in time, their true nature becomes evident.
Search your heart:
Do you practice what you preach?
Do you do things to impress others, or to please God, and experience His pleasure?
Don’t get caught up in our cultures way of looking good and conforming to mans ways like the Pharisees did. Rather, make time and let God search your heart, and see if the impression others have of you is consistent with what God knows to be the real you.