"Poser"

Do you regcognize the term used for my title. It is slang for someone who is pretending to be something, someone who is not the genuine article, someone who "talks the talk", but doesn't "walk the walk".

I felt like a poser this morning. My Bible had collected dust for at least three weeks. While packing Sunday night, I grabbed it and tossed it in my bag. On the flight to Chicago, I slept, really slept. The flight attendant had to wake me up after everyone else had deplaned, I never felt the landing. For the flight to Fayetteville, AR, I pulled the Bible from my carry on and searched for something to read. My NIV study Bible's intro for the book of Judges aroused my curiosity, so I started reading. I read for the entire flight.

As the flight attendant made her last round prior to landing, she paused and said, "I wish I was that dedicated.", referring to me reading the Bible. I wanted to crawl under my seat, "POSER" should have flashed in Times Square Neon across my forehead. She told me her personal Bible was large, cumbersom and hard to carry along with all her other gear, so I recommended she check out Border's for something smaller and easier to carry. We talked briefly and when she confessed to being behind in her reading, I confessed mine as well, but I'm not sure she believed me.

Once while visiting the Lifeway store in Nashville, another patron struck up a conversation with me and then asked if I was a pastor. When I answered, "No", he proceeded to tell me that I looked like one and sounded like one. I took it as a compliment, at least I think it was, but felt embarrased and assured him nothing could be further from the truth.

Both circumstances made me feel uneasy, as though I was pretending. While I projected one image to both of these individuals, I wasn't fooling God, he is aware of my shortcomings. Don't get me wrong, as a Christian it is important to project ourselves in a positve manner to the world, but more importantly it is our life long relationship with God that matters most. The Pharisees knew the letter of the law, but as Jesus pointed out, they missed the intent. So rather than just go through the motions once in a while, I know that I've got to sustain my relationship with God and with Christ. Going through the motions makes me a "POSER".

1 John 2:3-5 (New International Version)
3We know that we
have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him,"
but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if
anyone obeys his word, God's love[a]
is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:

Matthew 7:20-23 (New International Version)
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'