Day 51
Lip Service
Imagine for a moment that you are observing the first human being ever to wander into the waters of a river, a lake or the ocean. You can see their apprehension, as they wade out into the water, as it gets deeper and deeper. Then, that magic moment arrives. They seem to cross some sort of invisible threshold, cast off fear and become fully immersed in the pleasure of it all.
Porpoise don’t have a choice. They wake up wet everyday. They sleep in the stuff. Theirs is a life of living in liquid. As I stood on the beach watching a pod, I realized that the world is full of people who have never fully realized the blessing of what it is to be human, because they have never made the choice to dive into life. Why is it that some people enjoy the experience of diving into life while others remain seemingly marooned, anxiously sweating over the prospect of doing so? Oftentimes, these spectators are prone to pontificating about the preposterous predicament the people before them are swimming in. “Look at that! Oh! How absurd! They’re going to drown, get skin cancer from the sun, swept out to sea, or bitten by some sea creature. Mark my words!” You’ve heard them.
Why are some people participants in the blessing of the breadth and depths of life, while others seem content to stand on the shore criticizing and judging the spectacle of it all? Were they born this way? Is it genetic? Do they learn to become like this? Do they get some sort of satisfaction out of it that the rest of us are missing out on? Maybe it’s just lip service?
We seem to be creatures that have some sort of fascination with lips. Stores are filled with products we use to adorn our lips like lipstick, lip balm, lip liner and lip-gloss. Golfers lie on the 19th hole as they embellish the stories about all the putts that just lipped the cup during the round they just completed. People who have promised us “my lips are sealed” routinely break confidences. Betrayed, these are the people you feel like punching, giving them a fat lip.
Jesus ran into these sorts of people all the time. In fact, they surrounded him. During one of these interactions, Jesus’ disciples were eating. The religious leaders noticed that the disciples were eating without having cleansed their hands properly, according to the prevailing religious custom. They asked Jesus why He allowed His disciples to do such a thing. Well aware of their motivation, Jesus responded to these religious critics by saying, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. They have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” [i]
When you pollute the waters a Porpoise was created to live in, the resultant behavior is aberrant…they begin to act sick. You have diluted the purity of their living environment by violating the intentions of God by prioritizing the traditions of men. Typically, the traditions of men refers to the status quo and those who benefit from keeping everything the way it already is.
The same is true of people. Christianity has been subject to human pollution for some 2000 years. George Barna, pre-eminent social researcher on Christianity in the U.S. writes; “We witness a born-again population that is indistinguishable from the rest of the nation – and has very little credibility when it comes to promoting genuine Christianity.”[ii] Some have suggested: “We have learned that maintaining the status quo serves neither God nor the people He loves.”[iii] There are those who recognize that “Christianity cannot survive in anything like it’s present form.” [iv]
Maintaining the same old, same old within Christianity is simply lip service. It is ignorance and denial of the fact that the notion of progress has led us further and further away from the purity and authenticity of our faith. For the people chosen to be a reflection of Him, Christians have become a manifestation of the cumulative effect of holding onto the traditions of men. As one author writes, “There is no question: there are a vast number of Christians out there who are not content. Today’s Christianity does not satisfy, is not deep enough; its formulas are all wanting.”[v]
There are exceptions to the above. Dive in and explore a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Unfettered by the status quo, desire Him and Him alone. Pray to be led to others who are on the same journey. You have the opportunity to live the life of an exception. Are you willing to cast off fear and become fully immersed in the mystery of it all? There’s no need to wash up before you dive in. Pursue God as one who is unwilling to be satisfied with lip service. Porpoise don’t have lips you know.
NOTES
[i] NIV – Mark 7: 6-8
[ii] Barna, George The State of the Church: 2002, Published by Issachar Resources, a division of Barna Research Group, Ltd., 5528 Everglades Street Ventura, CA 93003 Copyright © 2002 by George Barna p.128.
[iii] Caldwell, Kirbyjon & Kallenstad, Walt with Sorensen, Paul Entrepreneurial Faith – Launching Bold Initiatives to Expand God’s Kingdom, WaterBrook Press, A Division of Random House, Inc., Copyright © 2004 by Kirbyjon Caldwell, Walt Kallenstadt and Paul Sorensen, p. 1.
[iv] Jenkins, Philip The Next Christendom, Oxford University Press, New York, New York Copyright © 2002 by Philip Jenkins p. 9.
[v] Laubach, Frank and Lawrence, Brother. Practicing His Presence, The SeedSowers Jacksonville, FL © Copyright MCMLXXIII by Gene Edwards, p. 109
