I've been pondering...

Romans 2:17-24
17Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; 18if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

I have been reading Romans lately and this whole section was extremely convicting. I think we all need to really think about what we say and how we act to avoid doing exactly what this passage says. The actual definition of hypocrite is:

1.
a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2.
a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

I think we all do this to some extent. We act differently and think differently at church than we do at home and everywhere else. My Mom recently put on the chalk board, "Change your thoughts, and God will change your heart." I have been trying to change my attitude. It's hard, I won't lie. But I sometimes get really frustrated over nothing and it's not okay. At home I need to act the same way I would act in front of others.

Romans 2:28-29
A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.