Pretending!

 This picture reminded me of my life as a kid. 

In 1969, the Apollo mission to the moon captivated me. I remember building a cardboard space capsule in Mrs. Morris's class at my elementary school. I remember watching non-stop coverage of the walk on the moon and for the next several years, moon exploration took over the country. I wanted a scale model of the Saturn V rocket, but I never got one. (I wonder if Stephanie would let me get one now! LOL!)

All of these thoughts about pretending came about while I was reading Isaiah 58 and 59 this morning. 

"Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don't be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they ACT so pious! They come to the Temple every day and SEEM delighted to learn about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, PRETENDING they want to be near me. 'We have fasted before you!' they say. 'Why aren't you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don't even notice it!'" (Isaiah 58:1-3, emphasis added)

I am taking several people through discipleship training and I love it. I really do get excited about "knowing God." I just can't get enough and it fills my heart with the desire to DO MORE for him and his kingdom. I long to help people who are oppressed, who have been rejected by society, who are on the outside looking in, who don't feel comfortable attending church, who want to know more about God but don't know where to start!

But, I also know people who just give the appearance they are just going through the paces. They act like they are excited, but their life doesn't reflect Jesus. They go through life pretending, saying the right things, and portraying the right attitudes, but living life like they never met Jesus. Their faith doesn't appear to be genuine. The true test comes in the rest of Isaiah 58.

"'I will tell you why!' I respond. 'It's because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?'" (Isaiah 58:3-5)

Isaiah goes on calling us to ACTION. freeing those wrongly imprisoned, lightening the burdens of others, freeing the oppressed, removing chains that bind people, sharing our food, giving shelter to the homeless, clothes to the needy, and helping our relatives! We must put our faith into action and remain obedient to all the Lord calls us to. 

We need to stop pretending and put our faith into action. God can see our motives; he knows our hearts; we cannot fool him. 

Are YOU pretending?