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No one believes me, but I actually played the romantic lead in the 8th grade musical. I wasn’t a good actor and I certainly wasn’t a romantic, but I had one essential ingredient. I could sing out loud. To play that role, I had to be someone I’m not. I must have been a hypocrite. In ancient Greek culture, the word hypocrite translates as actor.
Maybe we need more hypocrites these days. In a world full of people who say whatever comes to mind and act however they want, we need more people who strive to act to a higher standard, not themselves. Our faith asks us to aspire to be better than we are.
Left to my own devices, I’ll keep an eye on number one. I will look after my own interests. The Bible tells us of people destined for trouble when they “do that which is right in their own eyes.”
That’s human nature. But our faith has higher expectations of us. The Bible says, “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasant, whatever is praiseworthy, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Do not be yourself. Behave better than you do. So be a hypocrite today.
Roar. Paul Bailey is a retired pastor at Eastwood Baptist Church.
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