“Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8 The Message Version)
I don’t want to be known as a faker to God.
It’s not my intentions to ever appear to be something that I am not.
We can’t fool Him.
He knows us so intimately – better than we know ourselves. Why? Because He made us in His image. He’s the Creator. He’s the Author of our story, our lives.
Brennan Manning said in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel “Authentic faith leads us to treat others with unconditional seriousness and to a loving reverence for the mystery of the human personality. Authentic Christianity should lead to maturity, personality, and reality. It should fashion whole men and women living lives of love and communion. False, manhandled religion produces the opposite effect. Whenever religion shows contempt or disregards the rights of persons, even under the noblest pretexts, it draws us away from reality and God.”
So why do I try to fool Him sometimes? 
Perhaps it’s not so much me – fooling God, but rather – me fooling, or attempting to fool, others. We can become so good at this fakery, this mask that we wear that no one around us would ever suspect – that’s how good we can become at it.
I’m not accusing anyone of faking it today – that is never my place or intention.
All that I am pointing out is that sometimes, in MY own life, I attempt to fake it spiritually…and it never goes well. Have you ever been there? Please tell me that you have, I don’t want to be the only one.
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I can sing all the right songs.
I can read all the right portions of scripture.
I can dress and look the part.
But deep down inside, the real me, the one that is genuine has taken a back seat and there’s the fake me putting on a show.
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I don’t say this so that you’ll have pity on me, or that you’ll judge me (or think of me differently, “What?! a pastor/officer/soldier – admitting to faking it, how dare he!”) …I’m just being honest. AND -In my honesty, I hope that there are those who also can relate, and perhaps come to terms with this fakery in their (your) own life.
Like me:
-You don’t want to just go through the motions of merely existing.
-You want to impact the world for Christ.
-You want to be authentic instead of a plastic soldier that looks awesome on the outside but is hollowed out on the inside.
-You want to reach real people for Christ because of your sincerity and genuine faith in Christ.
-You know anything less than authentic faith will NOT fool God. – He wants us to live for Him (die to self, become selfless just. like. Him.) He doesn’t want our lip-service and platitudes.
Die Faker, DIE!!!
Dear Salvationist,
I will not be a faker.
We cannot be phony about this faith, these uniforms, this army and especially WHOSE we are.
“Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you.20 For God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because he owns it.” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20 TLB)
So perhaps you can join me as I casually, ever so silently, rather quickly – put to death my fake-self once more. Let’s cast it aside and get back to what really matters: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” (Luke 10:27 – in reference to the Shema)
With ALL my heart.
With ALL my soul.
With ALL my strength.
And with ALL my mind.
From this flows everything else.
Die Faker Die.
Something more to ponder today.
Disclaimer: The ponderings and opinions written here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Salvation Army.
Even in my own life, I catch momentary glimpses of Peter walking on the water towards Jesus. And as he begins to walk he is ACTUALLY doing it – he’s walking on the water, an impossible feat, yet it’s happening. Then something happens. Something catches Peter off guard. He looks around him, perhaps reality (his reality – men don’t walk on water) sets in. He sees the tempest of the waves, the power of the surging waters. He feels the billowing gusts of the winds. What had been an absolute conviction of faith, has now become a glimpse of mortality and human frailty. 
Like the deep rumbling of storm clouds, doubt settles onto Peter’s certainties. His absolutes turn into “maybes” and then into “no ways”…His eyes shift from Divinity and Eternity towards uncertainty and self-doubt. Excuses then enter – “I can’t do this,” “Who do I think I am?” “This is impossible” -Peter begins to sink. As he is facing the tempest and the horrific certainty of death by drowning, he calls out to Jesus, “Lord save me!”
Jesus basically tells His disciples that bad days are coming, and yet if they persevere, they will win or gain their souls. It is without question that most of the disciples endured hardship, persecution and even execution. Life was extremely hard for these Christ-followers, yet they persevered not just for themselves, but for their Rabbi – for their Messiah. The purpose that they had been given was beyond just their solitary lives – it was a purpose that brought hope into all of the corners of the known world.
It is certainly a sharp contrast from the lives of those first followers of Christ, but there are still many very real struggles in this life. I don’t want to list all of them today, but I do wish to convey that you are not alone. We all endure these hardships, these difficult days, these dark days. Sometimes giving up seems like the easiest thing to do – don’t. Sometimes throwing in the towel on our faith seems like the logical thing to do when anger and frustration consumes us – don’t.
Despite the season or circumstances you might find yourself in today – Faith wins.
Skit Guys – 
Others – 
3. L – Living Sacrifice
“We are not sent to minister to a congregation and be content if we keep things going. We are sent to make war…and to stop short of nothing but the subjugation of the world to the sway of the Lord Jesus” – William Booth
General Booth’s quote here seems to indicate that it is not The Salvation Army’s mission to maintain . Are we doing this right now? Are we simply playing it safe and maintaining the status quo? What of Spiritual and Corps Growth? What we are we doing within the context of Suffering/Serving Humanity that leads to lives being transformed? Our Army is NOT about becoming like another Church…or is it? Is it an erroneous thought that we are Church or that our evangelistic approaches should mimic that of other churches? What are the dangers of such an approach? Do we get it wrong sometimes when it comes to this train of thought (Distancing ourselves from being just another “Church”)?
I do not belong to a convenience Army…do you?
My very first recollection of Bowie’s work came by way of the movie “The Labyrinth”.
I have listened to Bowie’s last album “Blackstar”.
but for One who has given us all grace. I live for One who holds both life and death in His hands, and in Whom everlasting life can be found. I find that my “Lazarus” in this new life, in the hope of eternal life is completely and utterly found in Christ. This isn’t some sermon I’m writing, or a persuasive speech, this is just how I feel and what I see in my life. I know hope exists. I know peace exists. Everlasting love and life also exist – in Christ.
Where ever you live.
Do you ever wonder about the “catch phrases” at large rallies and events…sometimes they are impromptu (which is fun to witness), while other times they appear forced and half-hearted. I wonder if there are times when our battle mantras sound more like an old zoo lion who has been put out to pasture…he roars every now and then, but years of comfort and “zoo care” has dulled his senses and made him more tame than he was ever created to be.
I wonder if we are like that old zoo lion sometimes in our old Army?
lp me to confess them to you. Help me to work them out of my life, to embrace forgiveness and deliverance from even my worst of sins. You know my heart and my life – reveal to me that which still has yet to be confessed. Grant me your strength to make the necessary changes in my life, and in so doing, guide my life to be the very hands and feet of you in all that I say and do! In your name I pray.
This is a good explanation, and perhaps some of us are good at explaining this to new comers or new soldiers…but sometimes I think we need a refresher course. We need to break old patterns and old molds in order to better understand what we are doing at the Mercy Seat or why we have these moments of commitment at all.
Symbolically speaking, Jesus became our once for all- atonement piece – our mercy seat. His blood makes us clean, and his provenient grace cancels our debts/sin. When we kneel at this place of repentance that we call the Altar, or Penitent Form, or Mercy Seat, we are essentially placing our sins on Christ. We lay them down, and in so doing, we are invited to pick up new clothes, a new life, this unmerited grace and forgiveness that Christ has prepared for us in His death and resurrection.
BUT WAIT… 
Pastor's Ponderings 