For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
(Romans 12:3)
Two-faced men live with the imminent tragedy that their polished toy of life will soon have an engine knock. One final straw can destroy everything, blowing the cylinders. Men living this way, will do virtually anything to protect their polished myth. Inner turmoil ensues. Character gets twisted. Relationships suffer. Self-protection takes over. Private division and destruction follow.
This dynamic can become even more oppressive for a Christ-following man. We want to present Christian, play the role and rarely, if ever, let anyone look under the hood. Worn our spark plugs that cannot ignite self control, worn out gaskets causing oil leak from your loins, clunking noise from worn out timing belts that drive you away from God, poor wheel alignment that causes waywardness when no one is looking. There can exist a disconnect between identity and activity; resulting in a synthetic versus authentic Christian witness that is one drive away from halt.
God’s men often compartmentalize their faith and become “consumer Christians”sitting in the pews waiting to be served, or convenient Christians with a Las Vegas mentality that says “what happens outside of church stays outside of church.” As long as the car is clean and polished (image) and I can make work around fixes just to move the extra mile (activity) then am sorted out.
How did Jesus confront this naïve mentality? Luke 6:46-49 says:
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Jesus is frustrated with the posers and fakers (synthetic). The flip side is that Jesus wants real followers (authentic). The “house”in the Bible refers to our life. The “rock”refers to God and living according His plan. The “flood”and “torrent”refer to tests that challenge our faith. Synthetic, compartmentalized Christianity is always exposed by pressure because pressure reveals substance. Read the odometer. The sign is right there. Jesus configured your computer and when warning lights come on it means something is wrong. Just because others cant see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Time for an engine overhaul. The mechanic says so. You need downtime. Not to do patchwork on leakages but replacement of those worn out gaskets.
The difference between a “pimped heart” kind of man, and a man with a mileage conquering, fuel efficient heart, according to Jesus, is real LOVE within. “The most important one (commandment),”answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”—Mark 12:29-31
Love is the antidote to a synthetic life. Love is honest, kind, caring, empathetic. It serves, protects, feeds, and nurtures. It’s transparent, like living in a house of windows for all to see.
Jesus didn’t say some of your heart, PART of your soul, PART of your mind and a PART of your strength. No, he said, “ALL.” In other words, Jesus says: Don’t compartmentalize your faith! It is not how you look on the outside that determines how far you go, it is how well you are serviced on the inside that determines whether you will reach your destiny. A heart in top condition of faith-filled, loyal, and grateful obedience beats a "pimped heart" exactly 100% of the time.
- Adopted from Every man ministries -
(Romans 12:3)
Two-faced men live with the imminent tragedy that their polished toy of life will soon have an engine knock. One final straw can destroy everything, blowing the cylinders. Men living this way, will do virtually anything to protect their polished myth. Inner turmoil ensues. Character gets twisted. Relationships suffer. Self-protection takes over. Private division and destruction follow.
This dynamic can become even more oppressive for a Christ-following man. We want to present Christian, play the role and rarely, if ever, let anyone look under the hood. Worn our spark plugs that cannot ignite self control, worn out gaskets causing oil leak from your loins, clunking noise from worn out timing belts that drive you away from God, poor wheel alignment that causes waywardness when no one is looking. There can exist a disconnect between identity and activity; resulting in a synthetic versus authentic Christian witness that is one drive away from halt.God’s men often compartmentalize their faith and become “consumer Christians”sitting in the pews waiting to be served, or convenient Christians with a Las Vegas mentality that says “what happens outside of church stays outside of church.” As long as the car is clean and polished (image) and I can make work around fixes just to move the extra mile (activity) then am sorted out.
How did Jesus confront this naïve mentality? Luke 6:46-49 says:
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
Jesus is frustrated with the posers and fakers (synthetic). The flip side is that Jesus wants real followers (authentic). The “house”in the Bible refers to our life. The “rock”refers to God and living according His plan. The “flood”and “torrent”refer to tests that challenge our faith. Synthetic, compartmentalized Christianity is always exposed by pressure because pressure reveals substance. Read the odometer. The sign is right there. Jesus configured your computer and when warning lights come on it means something is wrong. Just because others cant see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Time for an engine overhaul. The mechanic says so. You need downtime. Not to do patchwork on leakages but replacement of those worn out gaskets.
The difference between a “pimped heart” kind of man, and a man with a mileage conquering, fuel efficient heart, according to Jesus, is real LOVE within. “The most important one (commandment),”answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”—Mark 12:29-31
Love is the antidote to a synthetic life. Love is honest, kind, caring, empathetic. It serves, protects, feeds, and nurtures. It’s transparent, like living in a house of windows for all to see.
Jesus didn’t say some of your heart, PART of your soul, PART of your mind and a PART of your strength. No, he said, “ALL.” In other words, Jesus says: Don’t compartmentalize your faith! It is not how you look on the outside that determines how far you go, it is how well you are serviced on the inside that determines whether you will reach your destiny. A heart in top condition of faith-filled, loyal, and grateful obedience beats a "pimped heart" exactly 100% of the time.
- Adopted from Every man ministries -
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