If you know me, you might be saying “Which problem, Matthew?” We all have our faults. There is one, however, that I think many of us share – we can extend love and grace to a lot of people but certain ones push us over the edge continually.
I wish I could say that the simple solution would be to stop it, fake it, etc. I know many Christians who would be quick to tell you to just do it whether it is fake or not. I have learned to be civil, but I won’t fake what should be a genuine love for people for whom Christ died. I will tell you to walk closely with Christ so that His love becomes an overflow of your relationship with Him.
Our churches, sadly, are filled with outward conformists who know how to fake the Christian life. I wouldn’t give two cents for that mockery of Christianity. Give me someone who is daily being changed by Jesus Christ and real enough to admit they aren’t perfect but truly want to be like Jesus.
It’s time to be real about where we fall short. But we can’t just admit it and plan to stay the same. Let’s aim together to become so much like Jesus (which only comes when we yield to His Spirit) that we can love the people who hurt us the most and honestly have no animosity toward them! Let’s strive to be like Jesus while still being real!
Matthew Winters (Honest Thoughts from a Pastor) 
I agree… lets get rid of the fake stuff… so lets be honest to each other say how we really feel, instead of the typical ” I am doing great, How about you?”
I looked at porn yesterday night and I cant believe, how I got myself doing that. I hate it… but I still end up doing it Off and On. I used to give myself time before approaching GOD and asking him for forgiveness. You know.. after you been good for a few days and you walk up to GOD in goody two shoes….
Now I see things differently, I feel that when you sin, its like injuring yourself. When you injure yourself, you run to the doctor and not wait for a few days. So I run as fast as I can to my dear GOD and fall at his feet.
Great post!!!!
You’re right on target with your statements. Only God can deliver us from ourselves and the things that so easily enslave us. Others are battling the same things, but we are prone to put them on a guilt trip rather than the steps to victory.
Amen. I agree. I am not perfect but I so want to be like Jesus. Authenticity, transparency….we need more of it from the church, the believers.
Amen…If you like or dislike me in church you will like or dislike me at home. What you see in one place is what you get in the other.
John the Baptist said it best.
“I must decrease so that He may increase.”
Amen
These two lines are the challenge for all of us: “Our churches, sadly, are filled with outward conformists who know how to fake the Christian life. I wouldn’t give two cents for that mockery of Christianity.” Great way to frame it! Thanks for stomping on my toes. I needed this!