Don't Be A Fake

And why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I say?Luke 6:46 Some people are excellent "fakes." Publicly, they may do an abundanceof "Christian deeds" and use the right Christian clichés. Butprivately, their lives are charades. They aren't listening to God.Their lives are mockeries.A young man who had just graduated from law school set up an office,proudly displaying his shingle out front. On his first day at work,as he sat at his desk with his door open, he was wondering how hewould get his first client. Then he heard footsteps coming down thelong corridor toward his office.Not wanting this potential client to think that he would be thefirst, the young lawyer quickly picked up the telephone and began totalk loudly to a make-believe caller. "Oh, yes sir!" he exclaimedinto the phone. "I'm very experienced in corporate law....Courtroomexperience? Why, yes, I've had several cases."The sounds of footsteps drew closer to his open door."I have broad experience in almost every category of legal work," hecontinued, loud enough for his impending visitor to hear.Finally, with the steps right at his door, he replied, "Expensive?Oh, no sir, I'm very reasonable. I'm told my rates are among thelowest in town."The young lawyer then excused himself from his "conversation" andcovered the phone in order to respond to the prospective client whowas now standing in the doorway. With his most confident voice, hesaid, "Yes, sir, may I help you?""Well, yes you can," the man said with a smirk. "I'm the telephonerepairman, and I've come to hook up your phone!"We sometimes fake the Christian life in the same way. We say we honorGod, but we don't obey Him day to day. Preoccupied with self and wanting our own ways, we ignore God and pretend to be spiritual.Instead of having Christ's character imprinted on our lives, we goour own ways, and our Christianity becomes a forgery.