Tuesday after the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, 8/15/00

Matthew 15: 7-9 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: "These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." --NIV

In the name of the One Who wants us to honor Him with our hearts as well as with our lips, amen.

If you caught any of the Democrat National Convention last night, you heard a lot about "walking the walk" as well as "talking the talk." No matter what you think about Democrats or Republicans, you know it is much easier to say something, than it is to do something. The same goes for being a Christian. It is much easier to say one is a Christian, to talk about morals or even forgiveness; it is quite another thing to live as a Christian.

Being a Christian assumes a change of heart, and a change of heart assumes a struggle against our old self. If we say we are Christians, but we are comfortable with our pet sins, or make no effort to follow God's Law, then there is something wrong with our faith. We do well to look at ourselves carefully on a daily basis, to see if we are sincere in our faith. We should do it on a daily basis so that we do not slowly drift away unnoticed to the point that we do not even care if we are sincere.

By examining ourselves and confessing our sins, we allow God to work in our lives to keep us sincere. He can remove the hypocrisy and help us to walk the walk, as well as talk the talk. Amen.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, You desire sincere worship from us, not just lip service. Forgive us when we follow our own set of rules and do not follow Yours. Help us to live a life that honors You by our every action, amen.

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