Keep it Real
Red letter stuff from Luke 12:1-9 (The Message translation)
By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other's toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus' primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, "Watch yourselves carefully so you don't get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long you'll be exposed. You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can't whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day's coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.
"I'm speaking to you as dear friends. Don't be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
"What's the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries.
"Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God's angels. But if you pretend you don't know me, do you think I'll defend you before God's angels?
When I read this passage in The Message, something jump out that I had not noticed as much before. That something was Jesus concern for those that were following him. I always read this as a complaint against pharisees. However, it is really a warning to the disciples.
It must be something that can happen to followers of Jesus. Something that we need to guard ourselves against. Jesus must see how easy it is for us to get too religious and loose sight of the relationship. He must know that the tendency is to hide behind a mask rather than allow the relationship to change us. And his warning is to keep it real, don't play religious games and don't pretend to be what you are not. Follow him and focus on the relationship with him. Lean on Jesus. Trust Jesus. Love Jesus and allow his love to be at work in and through you. Keep it real.
Love today.
In Christ's love and mine,
Doug
By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other's toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus' primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, "Watch yourselves carefully so you don't get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can't keep your true self hidden forever; before long you'll be exposed. You can't hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can't whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day's coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.
"I'm speaking to you as dear friends. Don't be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
"What's the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries.
"Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God's angels. But if you pretend you don't know me, do you think I'll defend you before God's angels?
When I read this passage in The Message, something jump out that I had not noticed as much before. That something was Jesus concern for those that were following him. I always read this as a complaint against pharisees. However, it is really a warning to the disciples.
It must be something that can happen to followers of Jesus. Something that we need to guard ourselves against. Jesus must see how easy it is for us to get too religious and loose sight of the relationship. He must know that the tendency is to hide behind a mask rather than allow the relationship to change us. And his warning is to keep it real, don't play religious games and don't pretend to be what you are not. Follow him and focus on the relationship with him. Lean on Jesus. Trust Jesus. Love Jesus and allow his love to be at work in and through you. Keep it real.
Love today.
In Christ's love and mine,
Doug
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