Nothing looks so awkward as someone trying to act like something they're not. Some say if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. Sounds good until you apply it to Christianity. That's because a lot of lost people are trying to act saved while too many Christians act worldly and appear to be lost.

I was sitting in an automated car wash yesterday watching the machine move by my driver's side window as it sprayed soap and water on my car. When the machine moved by my window and I could view its movement against the stationary wall behind it, I started to press my car's brake petal in response. I did so because I erroneously felt my car was moving and the machine was stationary. It would have been enough to do that once, but after I realized what was happening, I attempted to convince myself it was an illusion by watching the next pass of the machine. As hard as I tried to convince my brain that what I was seeing was actually an illusion, I still had the desire to step on the brake.

This morning as I was reading the designated portion of Hosea, my thoughts went back to my car wash experience. In this last verse of the book, we read that godly wisdom and discernment leads to understanding. But having wisdom and discernment is not where we should stop, but we should then do the right thing.

Here's what I mean: Our eyes are instruments whereby events are viewed and facts are sent to the brain in order to determine the proper action to take. Wisdom is the act of applying spiritual reasoning to physical action. When we're wise by the world's standard, we often see things reversed. But when we see things from God's perspective, we see it properly but it's nevertheless reversed from the way most others view it.

Discernment is the ability to notice something and instantly relate it to the truth of God's Word. I like to believe God blesses me with both wisdom and discernment because I devote myself to Scripture and prayer focusing on God's "way." I suppose that's why I see spiritual a application in most everything I see, including a car wash.

Today's verse implies to me that there are a lot of religious people today trying to act a certain way in order to convince themselves and others that they're something they're not. It seems logical then, that we can usually determine the right thing to do by watching what the lost and carnal do and why they do it, and then do the opposite.

I wonder how many Christians believe they're moving the way God is moving, when in fact the world sees them moving one way and God seeming moving the other. I don't know, but maybe it is time to step on the brakes after all!

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( Hs. 10:1-14:9 Jd. 1:1-25 Ps. 127:1-5 Pr. 29:15-17 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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