Our next letter of the alphabet is the letter “R”. This letter stands for the word “real”. If we are going to grow in our relationship with God, and have a positive impact on the world around us, we must be real and sincere. Being real is something that is pretty difficult to do. Now, saying we are real is something that is easily done. However, for the purpose of growing closer to Christ and having a positive impact on others, being real is more than just words. Todd Wilson, in his article “What Does It Mean to Be Real?”, (Website is Desiring God) says “when Christians are confused about what it means to be real, the spiritual decline of the church will follow.” So, what does it mean for the Christian to be real? Is it something we need to say more, or is it something we need to do more?

One of the struggles faced by the church today is this idea of being real. For a lot of people, hearing the church say it is real is something that is hard to understand or believe. The church is seen as a group of people who say one thing, but yet do something else. So, I guess being real is about how others see us. Therefore, what is the key to being, and living real? I think Jesus told the disciples, and tells us as well, what being real means when he told the parable in Matthew 13:1-23. In the parable he talks about a farmer sowing seed on a field. Three different types of soil with three different results. One soil allows the seed to grow but yet get choked out. One soil has the seed just sitting on it and allows the birds to come and eat it. One soil, the only soil that is real, allows the seed to grow and produce a crop. Actually, it produced a lot of crop. What’s the difference in Jesus’ eyes? The difference is in hearing the word of God, allowing the word of God to penetrate our hearts, and then allowing the word that is in our hearts to cause us to live real lives that impact others and show them the love of God. When this happens, we will bear the fruit of the spirit. When this happens, others will see that we are not just saying we are real, but we are living lives that are real.

Being real is about sharing with others what we have inside our hearts and that is Christ. Being real is about being the hands and feet of Christ as we serve others and care for others. Being real is about being burdened for those who are hurting. While we may not be able to physically “fix” their struggles in life, we can at least pray that God will help them. Being real is about allowing those around us to see Jesus Christ in our actions. Being real is not just important for the future of the church. Being real is a necessity. Let us be real, so others will see Him and we will grow closer to Him. Until next week…

Peace and Blessings…

Johnny