6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go.
My heart does not reproach any of my days.
7 “May my enemy be as the wicked
And the one who rises against me as the unjust.
8 For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,
When God requires his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry
When distress comes upon him?
10 Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call on God at all times? Job 27:6-10 (LSB)
One of the easiest accusations that Christians can hurl at one another is the epitaph “Hypocrite!” I probably receive at least half a dozen emails or comments a week with that accusation firmly pointed at me. What is a hypocrite? A hypocrite may be a very neat imitation of a Christian….
He professes to know God, to converse with him, to be dedicated to his service, and to invoke his protection: he even practices prayer, or at least feigns it. Yet the cleverest counterfeit fails somewhere, and may be discovered by certain signs. The test is here: “Will he call upon God at all times?”
Will he or she pray at all seasons of prayer? What about praying in private? The hypocrite is one who is dependent upon the human eye, and the applause of men. I remember once being looked down upon by my pastor and a few of the deacons at a former church because my public prayers were short and sweet and simple. It was as if the standard was to be public and be able to pray beautifully in front of a lot of people. That isn’t me my brethren. I pray privately and in that I know that God doesn’t care how much I stumble around and change course.
Repost from December 2021