Hypocrites
Hypocrites are people who say one thing with their lips, but are thinking something else in their hearts. It literally means to put on a mask, like an actor in a play. We might look one way on the outside, but on the inside we are much different. God hates hypocrites. Jeremiah ran into a lot of them after Gedaliah was killed, and the people were afraid of the king of Babylon who had appointed him as ruler. They asked Jeremiah to pray for God's direction, but they knew they were going to go to Egypt, no matter what God said through Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 42:20) We all should hate being hypocrites so much that we are completely honest with God and everyone, all the time.
When we go to church, do we ask God to show us His will? When He does, do we do it, or do we go ahead and do whatever we think is best? If we say one thing and do another, we are hypocrites. Often, God will not even speak to hypocrites, because He knows it won't do any good. However, when He does speak, and they disregard His words, He is very angry with them. He sets out to fight against them like He did the people in Jeremiah's day. It is terrible to have God fighting against us, so we must determine never to be hypocrites, but always to make sure that we mean what we say, and do it.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 44-46.
When we go to church, do we ask God to show us His will? When He does, do we do it, or do we go ahead and do whatever we think is best? If we say one thing and do another, we are hypocrites. Often, God will not even speak to hypocrites, because He knows it won't do any good. However, when He does speak, and they disregard His words, He is very angry with them. He sets out to fight against them like He did the people in Jeremiah's day. It is terrible to have God fighting against us, so we must determine never to be hypocrites, but always to make sure that we mean what we say, and do it.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 44-46.