False Advertisement
Micca Monda Campbell

“So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.” 1 Peter 2:1-3

My youngest son loves chocolate milk. He doesn’t just love any kind of chocolate milk. It has to be made with Hershey’s chocolate syrup. One day as I stood stirring the syrup into a tall glass of milk, I noticed that the label read “Genuine Artificial Flavor.” I was shocked! What appeared to be real, looked real, and tasted real, was actually artificial! As I stood with my mouth hanging open in disbelief, I felt cheated, mislead, and deceived. Finally, I was able to speak out loud: “This is false advertisement!”

Earlier that morning, I had read today’s key verse. "So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You've had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God's pure kindness. Then you'll grow up mature and whole in God." At the time, the scripture didn’t seem to have much impact, but now the Holy Spirit was using the incident with the chocolate milk to speak to my heart.

As Christians I wonder how often we display false advertisement in place of genuine faith. Instead of feasting on God’s Word until it brings about real change in our lives, we taste just enough of God to pretend that our faith is genuine. We might know the right words to say, have memorized some key verses, and can even pray a prayer that is convincing to others, but inside we can’t convince ourselves that our faith is real.

Eventually, we won’t be able to persuade others either. How often do you and I fuss and fight with our families on Sunday mornings from the time we get up until we pull into the church parking lot? Isn’t it strange how the feuding stops there? It’s as if Satan jumps out of the car once we’re at church allowing us to return to our normally kind selves. Who are we fooling? Shouldn’t we be the same at home as we are at church?

What about gossip? Pretending to build one another up in love, we camouflage gossip with prayer. “Did you hear about sister so-and-so? We need to pray for her. I heard that…”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve stood guilty many times. That’s why the Holy Spirit brought me back to our key verse. Each phrase of it motivates me. I need to examine myself for symptoms of malice, pretense, envy, and hurtful talk. I need to stay close to God and become a mature Christian in His eyes and an authentic Christian to others. I don’t want my life to be a false advertisement for Christ, and neither do you.

God never meant for you or me to pretend. Genuine faith is real. It comes as we feast on God’s Word and learn how to apply His ways to everyday living. It’s a faith that should be recognized by a changed life that others can see as well in our actions, our speech, and our works. Genuine faith is our best advertisement for Christ. Let’s be intentional about it.

Dear Lord, Search me for any signs of malice, pretense, envy or hurtful talk. Then, Lord, lead me in Your righteous ways. Make my faith strong and genuine so that I can be a faithful witness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Application Steps:
Allow today’s key verse to motivate you in displaying genuine faith. Ask God to sweep away all malice, pretense, envy and hurtful talk from your life. Then, drink in His righteous ways and apply them to your life. Soon, you’ll be a mature Christian whose life is an advertisement of genuine faith.

Reflections:
Why do you think people gossip about others?

How does gossip and envy affect your faith and ability to witness for Christ?

What does being a mature Christian mean to you?

In what areas of your life have you displayed false advertisement instead of genuine faith?

Power Verses:
Ephesians 4:22, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires” (NIV)

Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” (NIV)

Ephesians 4:13-15, “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.” (NKJ)

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6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Why do you think people gossip about others?" :) so that others won't gossip about them kidding!

We are all guilty of it I believe and I was a victim of gossips myself. Sometimes, I do not even know if I should ask anyone to pray for my situations and not know by everyone in the church. I have asked a brother/sister to pray for my road test and I failed not just once. Whenever I go to church on Sunday someone would approached me and asked if I have pass the road test and it gets annoying for me to answer. So I said I will let them know when I get it that way they do not have to ask. I learned to just keep things between me and the Lord for now and before I share or ask someone to pray for me I want to make sure it is not artificial flavor :)

Lately, I have been in a discussion about losing ones salvation regarding Hebrew 6:4-6 and your "False Advertisement" helps me more to realized that the one who say to other Christians that they can lose their salvation, but tell others that they are secured of their own salvation makes me smile.

I am sure that the ones who are saved will remain saved to the end as diamonds are forever unless it is not a real diamond, because the Lord is a cunsuming fire :) 1Peter 1:7
and the gold will remain gold ;)

Anonymous Anonymous said...

First thing this morning, I voiced my frustrations to my co-workers regarding a simple (but expensive) mistake made by my husband. For the last two hours, I felt convicted to apologize to my co-workers and let them know that there is no malice toward my husband over his actions. Before even reading this devotion, God swept my heart and called me to "clean house" and admit my wrong. I should have refrained from "hurtful talk" and found a way to glorify God this morning. God is great; we should be mindful of our actions and words so that our faith shines bright! Thanks for this message.

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think people gossip aobut ohters because they feel bad about themselves. They want to put someone else down to build themselves up and feel better about who they are and the choices they make. I think that as a mature Christian you have od and you don't need to pull others down to build yourself up becasue you have Christ to stand on.

Lord,
Forgive me for saying hurtful things aobut others. For speaking enegative talk about others in order to feel better about myself. Let me not speak words of harm but of healing and love about others to focus on building them up not tearing them down. Keep all Gossip from my mouth. Let me edify not tear down. Give me words that glorify you to speak aobut others especially my family. Forgive me for my phone
conversation this morning with a friend where I didn't speak well of my husband and of a friend of hers. thank you for your ears to hear and willingness to forgive the sins in my life. Give me patience abounding with my kids today. Help me not to lose my temper, but help me to fill their love tanks today as I spend my day with them.
amen

Anonymous Anonymous said...

MY, MY, MY~! WHAT AN AWESOME DEVOTION. IT HAS HELP ME TO LOOK AT MY SELF TO SEE HOW MANY TIMES THAT I HAVE GOSSIPED ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE AND TO REALIZE THAT I AM FALSE ADVERTISING WHO I AM AND WHO I SHOULD BE REPRESENTING.

HEAVENLY FATHER,

I AM ASKING FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS FOR GOSSIPING ABOUT OTHERS AND NOT BEING THE REPRESENTIVE THAT YOU HAVE CALLED ME TO BE FOR YOUR KINGDOM. FATHER I AM ASKING THAT YOU REMOVE THIS EVIL SPIRIT OF GOSSIPING AND CASTED BACK INTO THE PITS OF HELL FROM WHICH AT CAME. FATHER HELP ME TO ENCOURGE THOSE THAT MAY NEED TO BE LIFTED UP, HELP ME TO SHOW OTHERS THAT GOSSIPING ABOUT OTHERS IS WRONG AND AS YOUR REPRESENTIVES WE ARE REPONISBLE FOR LIFTING THEM UP. WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT WE WERE WHERE THEY ARE AT ONE POINT IN OUR LIVES AMD THAT WE WERE NOT ALWAYS SAVED. AS A REPRESENTIVE I AM SUPPOSE TO GLORIFY YOUR KINGDOM

Anonymous Anonymous said...

praise the lord! we are convicted smiling in jesus name amen! i was goin to write my prayer here but i did not want the artificial flavor and let the lord searched my heart as i asked him to change me from the inside out smiling ;)
the truth is the whole body is not perfect and we will offend as well as we will be offended but we have the holy spirit to help us remain perfect and we will remain holy for he is holy!

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you sister for this wonderful devotional. I plan on making myself an action plan and sticking to it! The Lord wants to bring us all to a higher level. Praise God that He loves us enough to correct us.

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