How to navigate hypocrisy

I recently had the chance to talk to Lisa Fields who runs the Jude 3 Project.

She said the number one reason why people turn away from the Christian faith is because the actions of Christians don’t line up with their words.

Jesus stressed this same point when he told the story of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32).

One tells his father he won’t obey (but eventually does), while the other claims obedience and then never does.

“Which,” Jesus said, “did the will of his father?”

Both, after all, had actions that didn’t lineup with their behavior.

But Jesus said it was the second that was worse.

Words are important, no doubt. But it is our actions, not our words, that make the ultimate difference.

In an imperfect world where actions and words often don’t line up, this is an important distinction.

We won’t get everything right. So it pays to know what’s most important.