For Monday October 6, 2008 - Sunday October 12, 2008
Get real! ( Matthew 23,24 )
by Mary Moody

Do you think you could tell the difference between a genuine twenty pound note and a fake? What if they had both been through a wash cycle in someone’s jeans pocket, so had an unusual blue tinge to them? I used to work in a Post Office, and I can honestly say it’s not easy. In order to recognise what was authentic, we first needed to study the counterfeits and understand what was wrong about them compared to the real thing. I remember we had to look out for several things when notes were paid in: colours looking odd (as they would if the money had literally been through the laundry); the thickness of the paper; something strange about the watermark; a silver line that’s on the surface and not running all the way through…

It can be just as hard to spot a ‘dodgy’Christian – and I wouldn’t want to encourage you to start looking, either! Unless you’re willing to start by testing your own ‘silver line’, that is. Is your faith something you’ve added on to the surface of your life, or is it so deep that it runs right through you? No one would be able to tell by looking at you on a Sunday morning, but you and God know the answer. Will you allow the Holy Spirit to search your heart this week? It’s not always easy being confronted with the truth about yourself, but if it’s an opportunity to grow closer to Jesus, it’s worth facing the facts. Let’s get real! Faith that’s an add-on is not the faith of a disciple, but if we choose the costly way of discipleship, Jesus will be right there with us, giving us the strength to carry on.

All material © Scripture Union, 2008, taken from the Closer to God quarterly Bible-reading guide. To buy the printed guide click on the link below: Buy the printed guide: GO>>