No one likes a fake person. You get that feeling when you talk to someone, and you can sense that there is nothing genuine. Christians can be accused of being fake. When you go to church, and someone asks you how you are doing, and your response is, “great!” If that is not true you are not being genuine. Jesus went after the Pharisees for their hypocritical living. They were clean on the outside but dirty on the inside. Be genuine to everyone you encounter.
Matthew 23:25-26
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
Be Genuine
Be genuine in your walk with Christ. It is too easy to maintain appearances. The Pharisees were a group of Jewish men considered the spiritual examples of Jesus’ day. Their problem was that they didn’t walk the talk. They looked like they kept the law, but no love existed in their hearts. In secret, they were morally corrupt. Jesus tells us to be genuine. Let your outward appearance reflect what God is doing in your heart.
Inside Out
The image we portray often isn’t reality. We clean up the outside of our lives to distract from the mess on the inside. Paul calls us in 1 Corinthians 11 to be genuine believers. That means that whPharisee’sn the inside is who people see on the outside. The truth is that we are messy people saved by Jesus Christ. We are all sinners who have been saved by His grace. He doesn’t expect us to clean ourselves up before we believe in him (we can’t), and he doesn’t expect us to act like we have it all together while we serve and follow him. People are to see the continuous work in our lives through our messed-up state.
True Beauty
The Pharisees loved to show everyone how they had everything together. Jesus saw through it all and called them whitewashed tombs. True beauty comes from the inside, where a humble and servant heart resides. Are you covering up some hidden sin? Fearful that others might expose you for who you are? Come clean to God and repent. Make things right, and He will restore you. Accept that you are messed up, but God is working on you. Don’t flaunt your flaws but don’t cover them up either.