Humorist Sam Levenson told the story of a driver who put a note under the windshield wiper of a parked car that read, "I have just smashed into your car. The people who saw the accident are watching me. They think I'm writing down my name and address. I'm not. Good luck."

In Jeremiah 3, we read of another clever bit of pretense. Judah pretended to return to the Lord, but the hearts of the people remained far from Him. They called God "Father," but they continued doing all the evil they could get away with (vv. 4-5).

As this situation in Jeremiah indicates, putting on a false front is a very old practice. But I doubt that any is more up-to-date. And I can't think of a problem. I'm more concerned about in myself than a failure to respond from the heart to the Lord who has made Himself so real and so knowable in Christ. It is easy to say, "Yes, yes, He is our Lord and Saviour. He has died for our sins and deserves our worship and service." But it's not so easy to remember our commitment to Him when the pressure is off and no one is watching how we live.

Let's not kid ourselves. We're smart enough to look good in public and say the right things about the Lord when it's in our best interest to do so. But what about our heart relationship with the Lord? Can we look Him in the face without shame? Looking good in the eyes of others is not enough.

copied from:      (not the same book as shown)
 "Our Daily Times With God" pg. 245
M.R.D. II