NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

May 26

Scripture focus: You shall have no other gods before or besides Me. (Said God in Exodus 20:3) Amplified version

At NorthStar Community and countless other faith communities, people show up knowing that everyone in attendance has a shared core identity – we’re human. We have dependencies. We have addictions. We lust. We have other gods.

“Hey, I saw you on tv, right?” He asks with an air of certainty that means I have to carefully consider whether or not a minister should lie in such an obvious manner.

“Maybe.” I hedge.

“Well, I sure am glad I ran into you. Because I want you to know that I think all you religious nuts are a bunch of hypocrites.”

I sigh with relief. Usually guys like this tell me I look fatter on tv than in real life. This never feels like a compliment, which I am sure is exactly as intended by the anonymous speaker. All this guy is doing is calling me a hypocrite – no big deal!

I nod an assent and keep walking. I don’t know this angry man, and I owe him no explanations. But he certainly got me thinking. I’ve grown accustomed to believing that we are, indeed, all hypocrites. Lately I’ve been rethinking my assumptions on a lot of things, and this issue has come up as a possible growth opportunity for me.

A hypocrite is a person who pretends they are something that they are not. If I said I preferred broccoli over Brie, I’d be a hypocrite. If I acknowledge the truth that I prefer Brie to broccoli, and go on to clarify that I choose to eat more broccoli than Brie as a part of a commitment to healthy eating – that is telling the truth – most of the time. Once in awhile, I am going to sit down and eat Brie without a single stalk of broccoli. I may eat it with crackers or toast. I may eat it as an appetizer, main dish, and dessert. I may remember to peel off the white rind or I may forget in my haste to nosh on the tasty Brie and eat it covering and all. This does not make me a hypocrite; it makes me inconsistent.

Inconsistency is different than hypocrisy. Hypocrisy leaves no room for holiness (if we define holiness as living with nothing hidden). Inconsistency provides us the opportunity to work toward a goal of increased consistency. It is also something we must hope and wait for. The awareness of grace provides us with a reason to never give up and never give in – even if we feel as if we are at the end of our rope.

Paul says the same thing only better in the book of Romans, when he reminds us that from the beginning, all creation has groaned in one great act of giving birth…we are all waiting for freedom. We wait patiently because we believe. We believe not in our own ability to be consistent, but in the One who dispenses grace lavishly. No matter where your treasure lies, have hope.


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