Do You Mean That?

From the Pastor… Do You Mean That?

Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live. — Marcus Aurelius

There’s an old saying… “An important part of this line of work is sincerity; if you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” – I find that to be funny. But can one truly fake sincerity?

Recently, actor Jussie Smollett tearfully told the world that he had been viciously attacked… but in reality, he had faked the whole thing for selfish purposes. Soon after, singer R. Kelly stridently claimed through tears and cursing that he is innocent of charges against him. Was he sincere about that? – One can ACT sincere and yet be completely faking it.

In Romans 12:9, Paul wrote: Love must be sincere. Yes, it should. Sincerity is a valuable commodity for any human relationship, whether it is in expressing love, forgiveness, an apology, or interest in another’s well-being. The more consistently sincere we are, the less people have to ask: Do you really mean that? – If someone tells me that I impress them as sincere, I take that as a high compliment; one that I want to be worthy of receiving.

In the end, people can spot a phony, and they highly value true sincerity. Christ calls us to such every day. And each of us can offer it to others, can’t we?

God’s best to you today,
Lee