The BIG pretender
the Platters ( Music group ) made this song a huge hit many years ago, and as I think about this entry on my blog the words ( well some of them) have spoken to me.
Have you ever been caught by a pretender ?
There are a lot of scammers out there today,preteding to be something they are not, I heard the other day of someone who got tricked by one of these pretenders and lost $10,000 online. (sigh)
well there's more isnt there ?
someone said they loved you ...only to dump you ?
something wasnt what it seemed ? it was fake ..?
I am sure you get the drift of that question, but think about it for a moment... we have all heard the line,
"Fake it until you make it "...... hmmm, not sure about it, well I guess in some ways its ok, as we learn a new skill or sport or hobby... but it isnt ok in the Christian sense.
and most likely many of us along our journey, have faked it at times, pretending to be something or someone we are not.
Its not a good idea though as a Christian. Pretending. faking it.
I mean why would we want to fake it ? why would we want to pretend to be a Christian ?
Jesus said this... "by their fruit you will know that they are my disciples ".... in other words, the evidence will prove the DNA.... character, nature of the soul.
from time to time, some bad fruit arrives in my life, I hate it when it does, for it reminds me of my journey that still has a long way to go. It reminds me that I am still human, still flawed with mistakes and failure that undermines my journey to holiness. These times, I must be pruned ( John15 ) having the bad stuff removed, cut off, so that I can be more fruitful with the good stuff.
I dont want to be a pretender, I dont want to be fake. Do you ?
At times, though, we become aware of people around us who are faking it.... people just going through the motions for whatever reason, looking the part, but not really "being" the part.
We can justify ourselves til the cows come home, cant we ? We can even make excuses for them, but at the end of the day it just isnt gonna cut it for Jesus when our time comes.
Think about His fairness, but also His firmness when dealing with a few interesting characters when He was on the earth.
The rich young bloke who wanted to know the secret to get into the Kingdom... Jesus said give away everything you have and then follow me.... the guy wont do it, and walks away, and Jesus lets him go.He Doesn't chase him, or plead with him...he just lets him go.
What about the words to the disciples about a town (people) that wont welcome them, He says to them shake the dust from your feet and move on...
There are stacks of stories about the firmness fo Jesus to those who want to fake it until they make it. There are also stacks of stories about the compassion of waiting and mercy and long suffering of Jesus as He waited for His people to get it.
But think about it...
Why would you want to " pretend " to be a Christ follower ?
why would we want to pretend to be a Salvo ?
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Pretend to be a sports fanatic ....yeah maybe, pretend to be a photographer...possibly, pretend to be a cook ...hmmm, pretend to be a friend ?.......what about pretending to be interested in something that someone else is going on about ? or pretending to care for someone else ? what about pretending to be a gardener ? or a race car driver ? or a movie star ? what about pretending to be rich ?..... ahh - loads of complications and implications, are there not ?
but pretending to be a Christian when you are not is just plain stupidness..... this has eternal consequences, it has massive ramifications for our eternal destiny...
Jesus said if you love me, obey my commands.
Live it out, be true, be the real deal... and dont try to fake it until you make it, NO...NO...NO
Just get on your knees and start praying, hang around with those who are also the real deal... put your uniform on and mean it, (if you are a Salvo), let your actions match your words, especially when no one else is looking, and lets be real.... no pretending.
and one final thing...( well maybe two things)
You, and maybe...only You....will know if you are in fact pretending.... a fake....and if thats you ? well just stop it, and whisper a prayer right now, wherever you are, and apologise ( confess ) to God for that, and repent ( turn away ) from it... and today choose to be real. True. Fair dinkum.
one step at a time, day by day.... and your whispered prayer today is the first step, well done !
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If you are not pretending, if you really are the real deal ? well awesome, lets together pray that we can make a difference to others around us, especially those who are still seeking the truth of Jesus, lets do our best to be authentic, to produce good fruit that is positive evdience of what is going on inside us, fruit that causes others to say, I want what you have got .
and lets all remember...those words of Jesus..
By their fruit you will know if they belong to me or not .
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