Do you think God is a nice person? Is He respectable? Does He behave the way polite people think He should? Does He always do what is expected of Him?

There are many nice people with good manners, which they have learned, and seem to live fairly respectable lives. There are many who think this aspect, is the definition of a Christian.

There are many who think they are Christians, because they pride themselves in their respectability. They appear good. Under the surface, they are a mass of jealousies, bad temper, dishonesty and pride. These attributes are masked by the outer layer of niceness.

Jesus called them “whited sepulchres.” Looking good on the outside but inside only harbouring dead men’s bones. We need great discernment to work out the real goodness from the fake. Only a real Christian can do this, because we need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to understand words and deeds. We need courage to face our convictions and act on them.

False Christians are very dangerous, and dupe many into thinking wrong, and to believe lies. Self examination is not a human strong point, but we learn it as we walk with God and grow in wisdom and understanding.

God does not behave as we do. We must find Him and become like Him. To know Him is a huge shock to us, as we discover God is not as we expected. He does break the rules, go against popular opinion and does outrageous things. Many disapprove. The Lord of everything does as He pleases, and we bow to Him. If we do what He asks of us, we will be full of joy and love will prevail.

It is better to be honest about yourself, make a mistake, or social “gaff” and apologise, than to adopt the outer veneer of the hypocrite. The Christian loves sincerity and righteousness, and we must be those people, not act like them…

Eventually, the rot within will come out so that it is seen. We might dupe our family and friends, but we cannot hide from God. If we sow the wind, our souls will reap the whirlwind.

Love the right things…