18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
Have you ever met someone who was sending a double message, saying one thing but meaning another? Probably one of the most common examples would be that of a used car salesman. Their words over-value the vehicle and stroke our egos. This happens today in the church as well. Some people on TV know just what to leave out of the message of Jesus in order to make it attractive to our sinful society. You know the type, only preaching God’s love without any mention of repentance or commitment to eternity-living here and now. If we leave out part of the message we are not preaching THE message. Just like folks who stand on the street corners and scream that sinners are going to hell, part of the message is a different message. What part of the full message are we avoiding because it gets too personal, hits to close to home, makes us uncomfortable with our sin? Are there passages that we skim over, or don’t read at all? I want to encourage you to linger on those passages, let them soak into the depths of your being. Get uncomfortable with the message, squirm a little, argue with the truth, get mad, kick and scream. If we are willing to let the message penetrate the core of our being, we will be changed. Our stubbornness will be melted by the love of God. One day we will stop the fighting and rationalizations and yield. We will stop our childish temper-tantrums and grow up in Christ. One of the hallmarks of maturity is the ability to be uncomfortable with the truth. When we have wrestled with the truth, we are not naïve. There is a tension that exists because we are in the world, but not of it. Get uncomfortable today, but let your message match your life.
The Arnold Journey 