Congruence ∙

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Congruence ∙

1 Timothy 5:24 The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.

Luke 6:39-45

 39 And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?”

 40 “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.”

 41 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

 42 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”

 43 “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.”

 44 “For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.”

 45 “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”

In 1868, in Ryde Australia, Maria Ann “Granny” Smith was making apple pies with French crab apples. She discarded the remains in a compost pile behind her farmhouse. Some months later, a chance seedling was visible. It was unlike any apple she had ever encountered. Chance seedlings are trees that grow without human intervention. It appeared similar to a pippin, but it was totally unique, and the Granny Smith Apple came to be. And the rest is history.

Sometimes things are exactly what they appear to be, and other times not so much. As children of the King, our faith is based upon the truth of the Word of God. Our faith is what we live, and what we live is our faith. Integrity is congruence between what you know, what you profess, and what you do (Nathaniel Branden).

We are to be living examples of what we believe. We are to walk the talk.

In the first century, many religious leaders knew the law of God. They could recite it and argue the fine points of interpretation. The problem was there was a great chasm between what they knew and what they did. Consequently, the Lord Jesus Christ frequently criticized them for the hypocrisy.

Matthew 23:3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.

Matthew 6:5 When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

REFLECT & PRAY

You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do (Carl Jung).

Father I desire to be congruent. You gave me the privilege and honor of knowing Your Truth, encourage me to live it consistently.

INSIGHT

Only God knows the hearts of everyone (1 Samuel 16:7).

Psalms 90:8 You spread out our sins before you – our secret sins – and you see them all.

However, what is in a person’s heart eventually comes out and is known by all. The sins of some are clearly seen and obvious. While others can hide or mask them successfully. For most observers, the cover-up is effective and almost total. But the Father sees and knows all.

1 Timothy 5:24-25

 24 Some men’s sins are plain for all to see, and lead the way to judgment; the sins of others will duly catch up on them.

 25 Even so, there are good deeds which are plain for all to see, and there are things of a very different quality which cannot be hidden.

Matthew 23:3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.

Some sins are conspicuous and cannot be missed. These people sins race ahead. They reach “the place of the judgment ahead of them” (Moss). The Greek word translated going before is proago. Proago means to precede, go before, move ahead, or take the lead. Proago could be translated as running ahead. It is a graphic way of saying that they are flagrant and obvious.

“There are obvious sinners, whose sins are clearly leading to their disaster and their punishment; and there are secret sinners who, behind a facade of blameless virtue, live a life that is in essence evil and ugly. What other people cannot see, God does. As the thirteenth-century theologian Thomas Aquinas said, ‘Man sees the deed, but God sees the intention.’ There is no escape from the ultimate confrontation with the God who sees and knows everything” (Barclay).

On the other hand, there are others whose sins are not as evident. Only later on do their sins become clear.

As children of the light, it is incumbent upon us to live in the light of the Father’s Word. We are to be living letters (2 Corinthians 3:3) in total congruence to His written Word.

The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination (Carl Rogers).

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