Exposed as a fraud

He’s a fraud, his claims of heroism in Vietnam inflated tales invented because he liked the praise they brought his way. The man did not just exaggerate his war stories at a backyard picnic! He got a United States Senator to champion his claim to a Medal of Honor. He rode at the head of parades, spoke to veterans, and enjoyed local prominence. He did serve and with honor.  Now he has lost all honor and been convicted of making fraudulent claims. Reading the story in our newspaper left me sad for him and wondering about contentment in my own life.

We all are tempted to measure ourselves against the achievements of other people. When we see them receiving awards for the things they do, we begin to believe that personal worth is connected to recognition. Certificates, medals, letters, and applause become more and more important as a way to say “I matter. Look at me, I exist.”  Excellence is good and the Bible teaches us to reach for it in every part of our lives.  However, when we start to equate worth with work, we lose our way. There is always someone who can do the same work that we do faster, better, or for more people. And, if we compare, we will be left feeling worthless.

For a Christian, true worth grows out of the sure knowledge that he is beloved by his Father.  The Bible says, "he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:6, KJV) Unlike our world that loves those who beautiful, brave, and bright; God loves us all! I love the letter to the Ephesians because in it we learn of the amazing, lavish love of the Father described in one superlative after another. The Scripture says that when that love is the soil in which we are planted, God’s fullness grows from our lives. "Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:17-19, NLT)

Are you craving recognition?

Do you find yourself tempted to pretend, exaggerate, or lay claims to spiritual achievements of which you have only read?

Don’t be a fraud! Be authentic, content to be who you are yet growing in grace, with new things emerging in your life and character all the time.

The amazing fact of grace is this simple yet profound truth:  there is nothing I can do today that would make God love me more than He does right now.

We are ‘in Christ.’  By faith, we receive from Him acceptance before God, the love and care of our Father, and the promise of abundance in life now, and unending life when we die. Nobody who knows this kind of worth is ever seriously tempted to be a fraud. Why would they need to pretend when they own such love?

Here’s the word from the Word.  "Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . .  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love." (Romans 8:34-38, NLT)