Keeping it Real?

A DJ of a popular radio station played a joke on a woman. He called with an invented story of a crisis situation. Her temper flared, and the woman ranted and raved, sprinkling in a few choice expletives. After allowing her to go on for a while, the DJ announced that the call was only a prank and the situation was completely made up. Realizing the call was being played live on-air for the listening audience, the woman gasped, “Oh, no! What will the people at church think?!”

We always want to put our best foot forward—especially in social situations such as at church or in the workplace. Yet, when that leads to a giant step away from our personality in other situations, we come across as being “phony.” But how do we actually become the personality we want to project to others?

Our sinful nature makes it very difficult to live by spiritual laws. We have a daily struggle with balancing our desires that are unholy with the ways in which God wants us to go. Even Paul acknowledged this dilemma in Romans 7:19, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” But Paul went on to say that this does not allow a convenient excuse to keep sinning—we should strive to live according to the Holy Spirit.

If we were to keep it really real, we would realize that the very reason we were created is to worship God. That worship should permeate every essence of our being. It should be part of our actions, our speech, and our attitude. This means that our actions should not be dictated by what people might think (hypocritical), but fueled by what is pleasing to God (aspirational).

Let’s keep it real and give God the glory in all that we do everyday.