Really? - Tue 27 Feb 2007

“"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.”
Matthew 5:33-37 (The Message)

I received a text from my brother the other day and it began like this:

“Hey bro how u doin? Thinkin of ya. Not quite prayin 4 ya – been propa down in the dumps last few days…”

This embarrassed me as I remembered saying to somebody only recently, “I’ll pray for you” and yet for one reason or another I didn’t get round to it. I respect my brother big-time for how he says what he means and means what he says; I know where I stand with him and this foundation means that our friendship actually has a chance to be significant and real.

God doesn’t need to make half-hearted comments to beef up his image. He is. And His words are true, sincere and eternal.
We don’t need to make half-hearted comments to beef up our image before God. He sees us exactly as we are and His love for us is true, sincere and eternal.
He died for us to really live and discover this.

“"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”
Matthew 6:6 (The Message)