Articles
Remember!
“REMEMBER!”
I remember, while growing up, my friends and I would often pretend we were something we were not. Many times when we were younger, we would look at each other and say something like, “What do you want to pretend to be today?” If you are like most children, you might have said, “Let’s play army today,” or, “let’s pretend to be policemen and bank robbers.” The favorite in my neighborhood was to pretend to be race car drivers or motorcycle riders. We would race around the block and see who could be the fastest. Of course, we had to assume identities of A.J. Foyt, Bobby or Al Unser, and Mario Andretti. (Does this date me?) It was a lot of fun pretending when I was a child.
It was not unusual for us as children to live in a make-believe world from time to time. There was really no reason for our parents to be upset because we spent a lot of time pretending to be someone else. However, as we grew older, we moved away from pretending so much and began to realize that life is not a pretend world.
Now that I have grown up, become a Christian, and raised a family, I realize that pretending to be a Christian is something one cannot do. Far too many people approach Christianity as a game in which they can pretend to be Christians. Christianity is not a game we play or a role we pretend to play. When serious matters confront us in life, we cannot close our eyes, shut our ears, and pretend to ignore the matter. We must remember the Bible tells us we can deceive ourselves. (James 1:22)
It appears to me that many are “pretending to be Christians.” When we become haphazard in our attendance or our giving, are we “playing a game and pretending to be a Christian?” If we neglect our service to God, and our prayers are few and far between, are we living the Christian life? Living the Christian life is a very serious obligation. Tomorrow is not promised to us. (James 4:13-15) If we are true New Testament Christians, we must not be inactive, complacent, lukewarm, or indifferent. We need to be filled with zeal and enthusiasm for the Lord. Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:23, “Whatsoever you do, do it, heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”
The question for all of us is, “Are you playing a game by pretending to be a Christian?” While it was fun pretending to be someone else as a child, following Christ is not a game of pretend.
Written by Larry Schneider
