Sad to say, the Lord is very grieved when He views much of our programs, service, worship, devotions etc.  Why? It is because, "this people honors Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me." (Isaiah 29:13)

Many people in the Church are immature spiritually, though chronologically they may have many years in the Lord.  The Bible warns us that we can be blind and think we are seeing.  We can be spiritually unstable and think that we are actually very, "on fire" and mature in the Lord.   The sad and inevitable result is that churches and fellowships become a center for showing off one's so-called spirituality when one possesses nothing more than a self-centered religion at heart.  The fellowship becomes nothing more than an exercise in giving and receiving flattery.   When the Word is preached, (if it is preached reverently and accurately and uncompromisingly) it is received with deaf ears.  It may be that the content of the sermon, the chapter and verse references can be recalled, but no greater humility results from having heard the Word, no real repentance ensues.  There is no increase of Jesus because there is no decrease of self.  

Many, "Christian" events, meetings etc. can be faithfully and enthusiastically attended with no inward change before the All-seeing eyes of Jehovah.   Again, Christianity and church become a, "part" of one's lifestyle and activity.  The Faith never becomes the all-consuming passion in our lives.  Living for God is wonderful for us to extol as a virtue when it is "modified" from the pure, holy life of separation that is called for in the Word of God.  Instead of the Holy Spirit guiding us and us faithfully and humbly following His lead, we let our feelings and our whims replace the Holy Spirit and thereby remain in self-deception and never mature in Christ.

Thankfully, there is Good News for bad people (like many of us occupying the pulpits and pews throughout the churches in the land).  And that is that God is very merciful and really wants us to change and is willing to effect that change in our lives through the agency of the Holy Spirit, provided we cooperate with Him.  Starting today, we can step down and truly put God on the throne of hearts in actual practice instead of the imaginary and immature way we have done until now. 

That means first of all, saying to the Lord that we want a total overhaul of our hearts in the Presence of the All-seeing and All-knowing Holy One.  We must sit quietly and wait upon the Spirit of God to help us to bring to the forefront, every single selfish act that we have ever done and be sorry and repent of them . 

Please understand that, it is precisely at this point that many choose to remain proud and dishonest and consequently never please God and cannot go forward in grace.

The Lord cannot get them to undergo a real and thorough repentance no matter how hard He lovingly tries.  Self is king in their hearts and they go through the nice and cordial motions of, outward "Christian" behavior with others but inside always have an eye on how they can look good in front of others and how they can gain something from others instead of sincerely and lovingly, giving from the heart for others' benefit.

The Lord once again warned that, unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees (religious hypocrites) then we will never enter Heaven when we die! (Matthew 5:20)

If we do not want to be utterly ashamed at the sudden appearance of our Blessed Lord Jesus then we had better become true followers of Christ and grow in grace.   We had better wage war not only against the world and the devil but against our flesh.  Against that sinister and deceptive thing called Self.  Each one of us possesses the potential to let it reign.  Just read Galatians 5:19-26 to see when you are in the flesh.  The self-same chapter in the letter to the Galatians also shows how to walk in the Spirit: 

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Now, if while reading all this, we can honestly say that we don't seem to have any feeling of remorse for selfish living in our heart of hearts, then we had better imediately cry out to God to make us sensitive to His warnings and grant us a burning, holy desire for repentance.  Cry out to God for a humble heart like a little child possesses.   Not childish immaturity but an innocent, childlike humility. 

Where are you today, dear friend?  Are you really and truly in fellowship with God maturing steadily, living less and less for self and increasingly for Him and for His Honor above everything else in your life?  Or are you still coddling the desire for self-recognition and self-exaltation?  Are you in fact the same selfish person you were ten years ago with nothing more than a trained religious exterior and some superficial service and some church talk on your lips, deceiving everyone?  Remember, God sees the heart and we will be greatly ashamed when He exposes us One Day for what we really are, if we are, "selectively" choosing to live by certain commandments and not all of the commandments of God.

The way out of shame and into glorious growth in the Lord, is once again immediate repentance.  This means that pleasing God will become the absolute priority in our lives.

If we are to be used by God as agents of change in our churches, then Supreme Devotion to Jesus and Passion for Holy Living and True Compassion must be readily apparent to our brothers and sisters.  There would be no need then for a pious drama or a calling for attention to ourselves. 

"And he said unto them, 'Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.' " ( Luke 16:15)

This verse should strike terror to covetous hearts in the fellowship that are self-deceived, parading a show of people-pleasing, selfish false piety. Rather than compete for offices in the Church and for awards for the, "most" _____ , we ought to receive the reproof at the Lord's Hand and live for His Glory exclusively.

 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you."     (Matthew 6:33)

This verse should motivate us to truly put Him and His Word and kingdom first and know that everything else that we need will be added to us when we put first things first.  

Increased Bible reading, prayer and obedience are clear signals that we are pressing toward maturity in Jesus Christ.

May the Blessed Holy Spirit be sought after and received by us.  Thereby, God will increase in us and self will decrease as the Day approaches when every thought, word and deed will be judged by the Eternal Eyes of Fire.  May the Lord be pleased to use you to be an example of what true Christ-like humility and tender compassion is all about and how others can attain it to their great fulfillment and everlasing joy!  Indeed, let us leave the camp of the hypocrites and may we become trustworthy agents of the Most High to make ready a (mature) people prepared for the Lord at His Soon Coming.  Amen.

- by Pradeep Emmanuel Stephen ©2003 comprehensivechristian.com

[Permission is granted to duplicate this article in its entirety, but only without additions, alterations or omissions of any kind, including the author and ministry name at the end.]