Welcome to Weekly Topic Saturdays!
Hello all, I pray that your week was filled with joy and love. Welcome back to those who have been with me here at A Golden Dream. For my first-timers, a great big hello there, if you haven't already please check out my previous posts when you get a chance.
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“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21
A while back I was reading a passage in the Bible and it made me think about what our motives are behind the things that we do. Throughout my life I have come into contact with people, “Christian people” who claim that they are 100% for God and for the church and they are anything but. Then at the same time, I have come across genuine Christians that are sincerely for God and his purpose. The concept of For Sure or For Show came from me reading Matthew 6 in its entirety because it really broke down what is expected of us and what we should and should not do.
Determining and distinguishing the difference between the two can be difficult because the people who are doing it For Show can be very convincing. It can literally be anyone: pastors, ushers, deacons, presidents, anyone with a social media platform, second cousins twice removed, judges, lawyers, teachers, dancers, and so on. Let's dive in and take a look at the difference between those who are For Sure Christians and those who are For Show christians.
Do not do good things so that people will see you do them. If you do, you will get no reward from your Father in heaven. `So when you give money to poor people, do not send men in front of you to blow trumpets or horns. Some people do this in the meeting houses and on the streets so that people will praise them. They are not true to themselves. I tell you the truth. They have their pay already. But when you give money to poor people, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. In this way, what you give to the poor will be secret. Your Father sees secret things and he will reward you. `When you talk to God, do not be like people who are not true to themselves. They like to stand and talk to God in the meeting houses and at the street corners, so that people will see them. I tell you the truth. They have their reward already. But when you talk to God, go into your room and shut the door. Then talk to your Father in secret. Your Father sees secret things and he will reward you. And when you talk to God, do not say words that mean nothing, over and over again. People who do not believe in God do that. They think their god will hear them because they say many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:1-8
If you forgive others for the wrong things they have done, then your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you for the wrong things you have done.' When you are fasting [not eating food for a time], do not look sad. That is what people do who are not true to themselves. They look sad to show people they are fasting. I tell you the truth. They have their reward already. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face as you do at other times. Then people will not see that you are fasting. But your Father sees secret things, and he will reward you.' Do not keep many things for yourself on earth. Insects and rust will spoil them. People will get in and steal them. But keep things for yourself in heaven. Insects and rust will not spoil them there. People will not get in and steal them. The place where you keep things is where your heart will be also.' `The body gets its light through the eyes. If you have good eyes, all your body will have light. But if your eyes are bad, all your body will be in darkness. If the light in you is dark, it will be very dark for you.'`No man can work for two masters. He will hate one and love the other. Or he will obey one and despise the other. You cannot work for both God and money.
Matthew 6: 14-24
For Show:
This type of person has to have an audience. If there is no audience they are not moved to do anything. Their mode of operation for doing anything is to gain praise from their peers. Will they do good deeds? Yes, but not for the glory of God, instead it is for the glory of man. Actions speak louder than words, a person who is a true Christian and a true disciple of Christ should not have to exclaim that they are every moment of every day. For show Christians will post their good deeds on social media, brag about the good things they have done in the past, are doing currently, or will do in the future. For show Christians will put on a facade or a front so that people will perceive them in a certain light. What the for show Christians seem to forget is that God sees, hears, and knows all. He knows what their motives are and he knows that it is not genuine.
God does not care about the amount of praise YOU get while you are here on earth, he cares more about what your heart says, you following his commandments, having Active Faith, and the amount of praise and worship you are giving him. You CANNOT, CANNOT, CANNOT get into heaven just off of works (good deeds) alone, it takes more than that.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For show, Christians can sometimes be false prophets and you have to be aware of these types of people because they will fill you with empty promises, and their own interpretations and understandings of what the bible says. We are not supposed to add or subtract anything from the word of God but rather take it in and apply it to our lives daily. This is why it is important to know the word within your heart and mind so that when these False prophets come around you have the discernment to know what is true and what is not.
For Sure:
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33
This person is here to do God’s work and live according to his will. This person does not have to tell you that they are a Disciple of Christ because you can see it in the way they walk, talk, and carry themselves. This person does good deeds but they do them in secret. They do not seek the praise of other people, they do it genuinely out of the kindness of their heart because they know that it is the right thing to do. When they fall on hard times they have the active faith in God needed to see them through their situations through prayers and supplication. For sure Christians are Living Sacrifices for God, they are ready and willing to do and give up whatever God asks of them even if it makes them uncomfortable. For sure Christians do not covet things or hoard things instead they give freely not looking for anything in return.
It is easy to be a For Show Christian because this is a comfortable lifestyle that is built on fleshly desires, outward appearances, and instant gratification. Being a For Sure Christian takes discernment, commitment, self-control, and self-discipline. It also takes acting in the spiritual rather than the flesh. We as For Sure Christians are guaranteed to wrestle with the temptations of the flesh daily, but it is important to not let the flesh win. These are things that For show Christians will not be able to do so easily.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12
Questions To Consider:
1. Are you “For Sure” or “For Show?”
2. Do you need an audience to praise you along?
3. What are your motives behind what you do?
4. What does being a “Christian” mean to you?
5. What are the differences between what you thought a “Christian” should be versus what is presented in the Bible?
With Love, I encourage you to take a look at what motivates you to do the things that you do. Ask yourself before you make the decisions if you are doing it for the glory of God or for the praise of man. Pay close attention to the people who call themselves Christians because they may only be doing it For show. Remember that actions speak louder than words, people can say that they are true all day long, but if their actions do not align with what they are saying chances are they aren’t. For Sure Christians do not need external motivation, just knowing that they are doing what God asked and that he will be pleased is motivation enough!
~Just Breathe...A Golden Dream~
Amen.