Cooked books?

Bernie Ebbers, former milkman and good ole' boy from Mississippi, was convicted in Manhattan yesterday of multiple criminal counts involving financial fraud in the company he had built into one of the world largest communications firms- WorldCom. He was charged with ordering that the company's financial reports be altered to make WorldCom appear profitable so that stock prices would remain high. Eventually the company went broke and cost investors $billions! Fraud- there a lot of that kind of thing in the world I live in. People expend a great deal of energy and money to create an image that is not matched by reality. Plastic surgeons make $millions make some body parts larger and others smaller. People buy things they can't really afford to appear 'successful' in our consumer culture. Frozen smiles hide broken hearts. Blustery boasting covers a man's insecurities.And - yes, some of us try to look more 'spiritual' than we really are. Because we fear what others think, we cook the books of life!

"Tempted that way? Not me!"
"Unsure of God's love? Of course not!"
"Wonder if being a Christian is really worth the effort? Never!"

And so the fraud goes on; our images protected, but our hearts in conflict without relief. And often, we live in fear, even as self-deception deepens!Fraudulent piety earned some of Jesus' strongest words of condemnation! To the Pharisees, who were masters of lookin' good, He said, “You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something. ...You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds." (Matthew 23:25-28, The Message) Then He called them - "Snakes!"

Venture into the churches of our land this Sunday and in many of them you will find neatly dressed people, doing their best to look like they have life all together. Any pain and emotion they may be experiencing will be neatly tucked away behind polite smiles. Husbands and wives who despise each other will walk in and sit nicely next to each other. Families torn apart by strife Monday through Saturday, will bow their heads in unison when the preacher prays. People with hearts that are screaming in emotional anguish will sing "Victory in Jesus" like they just glimpsed Heaven! And, for the most part, that's how we like it! Being 'real' is messy, disturbing, and raw. When a little child or a senile saint blurts out the truth, we laugh nervously and quickly move to hush them up! Images must be maintained.

Becoming authentic is a tremendous challenge for us who live in a world that is so in love with appearances. Many people will not like the person who won't 'play the games' that they play, who insist on telling the truth about themselves and the world of which they are part. But... there is no intimacy with God until there is a commitment to getting honest - with ourselves, with Him, and with others! Superficiality that serves an image and intimacy are incompatible. Of course, I'm not suggesting that you forget your manners! Discretion is a great gift. You don't have to say everything that comes to mind in order to live authentically. But, we do have to consciously refuse to allow ourselves to project an image that is not matched by the reality of our lives.

We start with the Lord. Baseline to experiencing His forgiveness and love is a confessional living. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:9-10, NKJV)

Authentic Christian living continues in our relationship with other Believers. We must determine that we will not seek to impress or manipulate others with inflated words, pretended vulnerability, or false emotions. We must allow ourselves to rejoice with us and to weep with us - fearing only God's opinion. The moment we begin to 'act' in a way designed to earn the approval of others, we move away from serving God.

Integrity demands that we look at ourselves in the mirror that is held up for us by the Spirit. Don't like what you see? Then, get with God and ask for the courage to change 'from the inside out!' Stop giving yourself excuses by blaming your parents, your spouse, your life situation, or even God Himself. Here's a word from the Word to meditate on today -- It's about letting God's Word be our mirror and making the choice about responding to what see in the reflection.

• "... whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action. Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air." (James 1:25-26, The Message)

Are you 'cooking the books' pretending to be someone you're not? Let God's love and grace take hold of your heart and mind. He knows who you really are -- and loves you anyway! He loves you enough to want you to become real and, in that reality, to become strong in His purposes. A person who has no hidden sins is fearless!

Today - commit to getting your Walk to match your Talk!