Real? Or artificial? from "His Kindness Year Round"

Close your eyes and imagine you are extremely hungry . . . . .

Then you sense the most wonderful aroma you have ever smelled.  Ah, food!  You're seated at a table, ready to receive the gourmet feast that will soon be put before you.  As the smell becomes stronger and more intense, you realize the food will soon be your reality.  And you can hardly wait!  The mixture of the smells makes you even hungrier.  And then, you hear footsteps and the placing of a plate of food before you.  It's here and you're ready to eat!  You open your eyes to see a meal is non-existent.  There is a plate before you, but there is no food, only a dog bone.

Did you receive what you expected?  No.  Instead of a delicious spread prepared for your hungry tummy, you received an empty plate.  Rather than a real, genuine meal, you received a cold serving dish, just a plate, and a dog bone.  What you thought was real, was really artificial.

Who are you as a person or friend or co-worker or Christian:  are you real -- sincere, genuine, honest? Or are you artificial -- fake, insincere, superficial?

This is a wonderful time of year to examine yourself.  Are you genuine with people?  Are you true to God? We cannot hide anything from the Father.  We may be able to convince others of our friendship or good deeds or extensive prayer life or relationship with the Lord, but He knows if we are real, or artificial, as a person and as a Christian.

The Bible instructs us not to have false gods.

Exodus 20:2 "You should have no other gods before Me."

Deuteronomy 32:17 "They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God -- gods they have not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your ancestors did not fear."

Our Heavenly Father is not a supporter of false gods.  He's not an advocate of false character.  There is One God, Creator of all.

And goodness, don't even think about being on the "fence post" -- not real or artificial, but "lukewarm".

Revelation 3:16 "So, because you are lukewarm -- neither hot nor cold -- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Be real, genuine, sincere and honest.  God knows your heart, even if you can deceive others.  And serve the One God, because He is the One.

Prayerfully, your sister in Him,

Robin