Authentic: " Not false or copied ; genuine...real"*What does it mean to live authentically? This morning I was reading in Hosea 10 when I came across this sad commentary:
Israel empties his vine;
He brings forth fruit for himself.
According to the multitude of his fruit
He has increased the altars;
According to the bounty of his land
They have embellished his sacred pillars...[but]
...Their heart is divided.
No matter how showy and outwardly religious the appearance, nothing could cover up a divided heart. What looked like worship and praise turned out being false because there was no authenticity.
How can I be an authentic follower of Christ?
According to this verse, the key to authenticity lies in the heart...an undivided heart.
Many times when I am in the middle of a song service, I am suddenly struck by the powerful implications of the words I am singing. At those moments I wonder if my life authentically exemplifies "All to Jesus, I surrender..." or "Take the world but give me Jesus". Do my daily choices shout that God is my "all in all" and that "my soul longeth after" Him?
To be practical, how can I live authentically with an undivided heart? How to live like God is everything, not just a part?
We humans love lists. I could make a list including good principles such as...
1) put God first
And
2) Honor Him in all decisions.
Both are true. But instead, I think the foundation to authenticity is love. That's right. The most basic of basic principles.
I don't know what it means to love God...REALLY love God, but I want to. My finite idea of love has barely scratched the surface of a boundless reality. Christ lived the most authentic life ever lived. When I choose to pursue Him and make all my choices to love Him better, only then will I be authentic : genuinely authentic.
1 comment:
I can definitely relate to this post. An authentic life is something I've longed after a lot. Thanks for sharing your thoughts it :)
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