 Have you ever come across someone who you could trust wholeheartedly without hesitation? That kind of person is extremely rare to find. If we are being honest with ourselves, we fall short of being that person from time to time. So what makes people like this so great? And why should we strive to be more like them? As the Lord was giving me things to add to this post, I was really being ministered to, and it made me stop and reflect on myself and the condition of my heart. I hope it does the same for you. It is so important in our walk with Christ to come into moments where God requires us to stop, and think about where we are in our relationship with Him. And it’s even more important to be open and willing to allow Him to change, mold, and fix those areas that need a tune up. I encourage you to allow the rest of this post to sink deep into your heart, and if you feel the need to ask the Lord to show you the areas that need repair or change, be confident that He will. If you allow Him to do the work, He will never fail to make us into the person He has called us to be. Let’s get into it!! As I thought about this topic the other day, I figured out that being genuine is an attribute of God that a lot of people lack. Being genuine goes deeper than just being honest and speaking the truth, so I dug further into this by finding out what the Bible says about genuineness. And let me just tell you…this topic matters a great deal to God! First lets see what this word actually means according to the English Language dictionary. Genuine- “Possessing the claimed character, quality, or origin; authentic; real: free from pretense, or hypocrisy; sincere; not-counterfeit." From that definition, I can understand that a genuine person is authentic, real, and not counterfeit. They are sincere. A word we don’t encounter too often in life. There is a severe lack of sincerity in this world. Even in the grocery store, we encounter the opposite of sincere individuals. Why? Because we have lost the quality of being genuine due to the bowing-down to this easily offended generation. Authenticity is gone, and replaced by something counterfeit which then leaves no room for the pure and real honest love of God to shine through us. How do we let genuineness seep into the depths of our heart so that we don’t waver or stumble when it comes to being real. Let’s go to the Word and see what God has to say about it. Romans 12:9-10 shows us how to keep an authentic spirit within us at all times. It says, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”  God can’t make it any easier than that. He commands us to actually love others; hate what is wrong; cling to what is good (God is good). And then be affectionate to others which means to have compassion on them, and be happy for them and celebrate with them and for them. If I live this way, I have zero room in my heart for jealousy, hate, envy, or pride just to name a few. I can probably guess what you're thinking! People are NOT always easy to love though! And that is very true, but consider what 1 Timothy 1:5 says- “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.” Our own hearts have to be pure, our thinking must be clear, and our faith must be real in order to love others in the way God wants us to. It is the way He loves us!! Our love for others must be genuine because Christ’s love for us is the most genuine, pure, and honest thing we will ever encounter. It’s through His love that we are able to receive forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. So it’s through our genuine love for others that they are able to come to know more about Christ, and experience HIS kind of love; not the counterfeit stuff they receive from the world. Through us we are able to point others in the direction of heaven. How? By simply being... genuine. By being real. By being honest. By being sincere. True to our words. True to our actions….through Jesus Christ leading our lives. One of my favorite authors, Chris Tiegreen said, “We can no more manufacture love than we could save ourselves from sin” We are unable to give genuine love without THE genuine love living in our hearts and leading our days.  When Jesus walked the earth, He spoke truth. His truth didn’t make everyone happy. It wasn’t always the most popular or welcomed, but He was true and honest with every individual He came across. He spoke genuine truth into their lives and conducted himself in an authentic way which led them to change. I can’t imagine His words always made people "feel" comfortable, but when He spoke about sin and repentance, He did so with genuineness that came from a pure heart. Never degrading or full of condemnation.. and look, people flocked to him. They wanted more of what was real. People are attracted to genuineness because people need authenticity. It is part of how God designed us. A God that is very real created you, so why wouldn’t you crave realness? There are so many counterfeit things out there, and a lot of those counterfeits are enticing at times. But there is something so attractive about pure honesty, done and said out of love. The world is missing that. Authenticity is scarce…inside the church…inside our office buildings….inside our homes…inside our own hearts. The Bible tells us in Matthew 12:34 “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” Have you heard the phrase, “from the heart the mouth speaks?” This is where it comes from. The word “speaks” isn’t referring to mere words and words alone. It carries a different weight and meaning. Anyone is capable of uttering just anything without regard to the matter of their heart. The word “speaks” in this verse is referring to the things that come bubbling up from the heart- the inward most being- the place where we keep our true selves. If we have genuineness living in our hearts, our words, speech, and actions will be real and authentic. Likewise, if we have hate or pride, that is what will come out. Counterfeit actions come from the depths of our hearts also. Not just negativity or bad words.  Our actions can't only seem real because some have the means to cause certain actions to happen yet have no genuine care and love behind it. Actions done out of selfish intentions or for show, no matter how "nice" they seem, are not coming from a genuine heart. In Philippians 2:3 we are told to put away selfishness and the urge to impress each other, but to be humble and think of others as better than ourselves. For some of us, this is a daily choice that we must work on constantly. When I think of putting certain people like my husband or children above myself, it's not that difficult, but what about those who aren't as easy to love or like? Like our actions, God also doesn’t want just our words to show and prove your genuineness because words spoken from our mouth often fall short. I'm not saying those things aren’t well-intentioned. Even well-intentioned words and actions can be done out of the flesh and not of the Spirit. Don’t be the type of person described in Matthew 15:8- “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” This is the opposite of being truly genuine. I don’t want to say one thing, but have a heart that is far from the truth. In being truly genuine, we become humble. Humility and genuineness go hand in hand. Together, they open the door for us to be compassionate towards others. It’s part of being pure before the Lord, and it diminishes any room for Satan to use negative truths against you. Let’s not forget that he is scheming and looking for any cracks in the foundation to expose because he would love nothing more than to stop you. Doing so would further his plan, and not the Kingdom or the call on your life. So many times, we are the reason we experience delays in God using us or moving us to the next thing. Having a genuine heart shows the Lord that we are trustworthy and ready for what He has planned. Ask the Lord to purge, cleanse, and redeem the counterfeit parts of your heart. Go before Him and ask Him to create in you a genuine heart that contains a real love and produces authentic actions and words. Being genuine is a matter of the heart, and we must go to the source. It is my hope that this moves you in the way it did me. Strive to be the genuine person at your job, at the store, in your family, and with your friends. It's not a trait that's commonly found, but God did not create us to be common!! If this encouraged you, leave me a comment below and let me know how. Share it so others can be encouraged too!
2 Comments
Prophetic Prince 06
1/19/2023 07:48:57 pm
What a great message! It’s a lot to soak in and reflect on! A lot of people who present themselves as genuine, in time show themselves to be the authentic. God and the holy spirit reveals things to us in specific timeframes for and in specific seasons! A lot of unauthentic people in the church, even in the pulpit these days! Great message! Keep sharing!!
Brandee
1/20/2023 09:47:24 am
Great and applicable! Truth with love is 🔑 Leave a Reply. |
Author- Marianne Logan-JohnsonI wanted the create a space for encouragement. I have so much about parenting and momming to write about, but I will leave that for the other page on my website. This page is for those who need a pick-me-up to get them through their day. I will be posting mini devotionals that anyone, not just moms, can apply to their everyday lives, and see the positivity it adds to your day! I hope you enjoy, and get just as much encouragement out of these mini messages that I do! Happy reading! Archives
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