ARE
YOU A HYPOCRITE?
Memorise:
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. Matthew 6:5;
Read- Mark 7:1-6, Bible in one year: Matthew 19:1-21:27; Job 14:7-17
Hypocrisy is a type of behaviour in which a person
pretends to have moral standards or opinions, but does not actually live by
them. Hypocrisy is a decadence condemned by the church and society.
Paradoxically, its manifestation is commonplace in both the church and the
society. The Bible warns against and condemns hypocrisy in the strongest terms.
Luke 11:44 says,
“Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that
walk over them are not aware of them.”
Hypocrisy is manifested in many ways. First, it is
manifested in giving (Matthew 6:1-4). Giving is good and scriptural. A
Christian is expected to give cheerfully, abundantly, sacrificially and
lovingly. We should give our time, money, talents and energy for the expansion
of the kingdom of
God and the furtherance
of His work on earth. However, when giving, a hypocrite is pretentious. He
either gives sparingly while giving while at the same time passing off as the
best giver. A hypocrite wants every act of his giving to be acknowledged in
public. He engages in charitable work simply for self-aggrandizement. Are you a
hypocrite? How do you give? What motives are behind your acts of charity?
A second area in which hypocrisy finds expression is
in prayer. Prayer is an obligation, and God answers prayers. He enjoys us to
ask and instructed us to pray without ceasing. The hypocrite prays. He however
has a wrong motive for praying. He cannot be said to be praying to God. A hypocrite
prays to be seen by men (Matthew 6:5). Hypocrites do not engage in secret
prayers; they will only pray where men can see and acknowledge them as
prayerful persons. What is the motive behind your prayers? What do you pray?
Why do you pray? How do you pray? Do you limit your prayers to places where men
can see or hear you pray? Do you pray to be acknowledged by men as a prayer
warrior? A third area in which hypocrisy finds expression is in fasting.
Fasting is scriptural. Christians should however not be hypocritical in fasting
(Matthew 6:16). A hypocrite fasts in order to be seen by men. He announces his
fast and does things to make men acknowledge the fast. This is unscriptural.
Whenever you fast, let it between you and God. Finally a hypocrite is
fraudulent. He is dubious, exploitative and through pretexts appears to be
religious. Are you a hypocrite?
Action
Point
If
you notice any act of hypocrisy in your life, repent and turn a new leaf.
2 Comments
May God bless you and urs for the wonderful work you are doing, thank you Lord Jesus for a new month.
ReplyDeleteHappie new month to you too, bless you...
DeletePlease drop a comment. God bless you!