WWJD, Sign of the Cross...

I have a friend who likes to wear his WWJD bracelet around his wrist. Those bracelets became quite popular and fashionable some years back and their popularity does not seem to have diminished much over the years. WWJD stands for “What Would Jesus Do?” A good question and one that we should all certainly consider, right? Yet he would wear his WWJD bracelet while he skipped worship to go play softball in a league he had joined. He joined this league knowing that for several months he would have to choose between worship and softball. Sadly, worship never stood a chance. Perhaps it's just me, but doesn't that seem just the least bit inconsistent, if not altogether hypocritical? Hebrews 10:25 very clearly says, “Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” What would Jesus do when it came time to worship with the saints? Well, I'm fairly certain that He would not neglect it so that He could go play softball. I brought this up to him more than once and he just couldn't see what the big deal was.

Perhaps you know those who like to make the “sign of the cross” over their hearts. Most people consider this a strictly Catholic practice but the truth is that many Protestants like to do it as well. Back when I was doing secular work, I knew a guy who had one of the filthiest mouths I had ever heard. In fact, he was just generally a very vile individual. Yet whenever he spoke of something that he was hoping or wishing for, he would always cross himself when he spoke of it. That always struck me as odd. Perhaps he thought that if he tossed out this small spiritual “bone” to Jesus, than perhaps the Lord would simply forget about the manner of his daily life and fulfill whatever desire that he had.

I can only imagine how disgusted such empty nods to the spiritual must make God. This is not to say that everyone who wears a WWJD bracelet or crosses himself is doing so thoughtlessly or is careless in his daily walk. However, I know from experience that many are. They give about as much thought to the message on their wrist as they do the small ornament on their key chain. They see them both and carry them both around daily, but they just don't think about them.

There are so many cute little sayings that Christians have developed that are so empty and meaningless because of the life led by those who utter them. There is nothing as worthless as a person who has no intention of submitting their lives to Christ, when faced with a difficulty, saying something to the effect of: “Well, I'll just have to let go and let God.” Those words do not mean anything, and they are the very height of hypocrisy, unless a person is truly willing to give themselves to God and obey Him in all respects as those words demand.

The Bible is very clear on this point: God cannot stomach, and will not tolerate, the hypocrite. At the time when Amos was prophesying, Israel was enjoying what would become a very rare moment of peace. Yet corruption and immorality had entered the people. They thought that they could just go on offering God their empty and meaningless sacrifices and things would be fine. They were wrong, for God had grown very weary of their hypocrisy. This is what God said to them: “I hate, I despise your feats, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:21-24). Can't you almost hear God say to those who utter empty, worthless phrases with religious sentiment, those who have no intention of truly submitting themselves to God as their words would demand if they were to carry in real meaning, “Take away from me the noise of your words.” Can't you almost hear Him say to them, “Even though you offer me every spiritual phrase known to man, I will not accept them.”

The point that I am making should be clear by now. If a person does not truly mean what their words, or their bracelets, or their crossing themselves would seem to suggest, it would be far better to do away with them altogether than to keep up the hypocrisy. I cannot help but think of our Lord's words about the Pharisees in Matthew 23:2-3, 5. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe what they tell you--but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice...They do all their deeds to be see by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.” They preach but do not practice. They wear their ornaments to be seen by others. Does that not sound awfully familiar?

The truth of the matter is, despite my friend's WWJD bracelet which he insists on wearing daily, to imitate his walk will not take me closer to the Lord. Despite His bracelet, He does not do what the Lord would do or desire. Despite my former co-worker's insistence on crossing himself whenever he was wishing for something, to imitate his daily life would have led me very far from the Lord. I do not need to be told, courtesy of a bumper sticker, that a person's boss is a Jewish carpenter or can walk on water, if observing that person in their daily life shows conclusively that the Jewish carpenter to whom they are referring is most assuredly not their boss.

Hypocrisy is a terrible thing and it will serve to keep a person out of heaven if he is not careful. So, with all of the cute little phrases, fashionable bracelets, colorful bumper stickers, and impressive crossing of ourselves aside, are we really servants of God? Do we really mean what we say and wear? In the end, that is the only thing that is going to matter. Believe me when I say that God is certainly not going to be fooled, or impressed, by these outward things.