AUTHENTICITY - July 6, 2011
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
A word that seems to resonate today with a lot of people is “authenticity.” To be authentic, to be real, to say what you mean and mean what you say—many observers of our present society are telling us that this is a quality people are longing to encounter.
Think about that for a moment. This apparent longing for authenticity suggests that people are weary of not finding it. They’re tired of spin. They’re tired of those who talk around a problem. They’re tired of pleasant evasions, the euphemisms, the cheery refusals to confront a problem. They want people to speak the truth and speak it plainly.
More often than I care to admit, my sense of authenticity has been a disaster. Too many times I’ve avoided the painful truth about myself. Too many times I’ve filled my head with music from my IPod rather than confront a tough issue about my character. Too many times my day-to-day existence has been a string of self-distractions; a smiling, shallow refusal to face the sins in my life. Perhaps that describes you too.
If it does, there’s some refreshing news for the likes of you and me. It’s refreshing in its authenticity. In fact, it defines authenticity. It’s the Word of God. My Lord gives me straight talk about the reality of my sinful failures. He sugarcoats nothing. He confronts my problem with honest, unblinking eyes.
Then he gives me an Answer, a Solution. The Solution is complete, final, sure. The Solution is Jesus. His blood has washed my sins away. His perfect life covers me. Because of him I don’t have to play games anymore. I don’t have to pretend. Now I can be authentic. Authentic with God, others, myself.
And because Jesus has done the same for you, you can too.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, thank you for your Word of Truth. Empower me by your gospel to be authentic with you, with others and with myself. Amen.
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