I will, but...

Day one hundred eighteen

Yesterday I was reading an article about why people don't go to church, when one of the reasons jumped out at me: There are too many hypocrites in the church – Better to sit with them in church than to fry with them in Hell!  I had never really thought about it in these terms, in fact, at first, it made me giggle.  But then, as often happens, it sat in my mind and I couldn't let it go.  I had to think this through.  If someone doesn't come to church because there are hypocrites there doesn't that make them a hypocrite too!  In reality we are all hypocrites on some level, so that would mean that no one would be at church.  Then I started to think, what if I'm the hypocrite that is keeping people from coming to church.  Now I had made it personal! 

So I prayed this morning that the Lord would put those things in my life that would help me not be a hypocrite.  I also prayed that if I had offended someone because I had been a hypocrite that the Lord would give me the opportunity to fix it.  Some deep thinking going on at 5am!

Exodus 7-11

Initially I wanted to focus on Moses and what we could learn from his interaction with Pharaoh through the whole plague saga, but it was Pharaoh that caught my attention this morning.  I tried to focus on Moses, but questions about Pharaoh kept popping into my head:  Why the hard-heartedness over and over again?  and why, when he appears to concede, does he try to control the situation by putting stipulations on the Israelites? 

The second question is where I learned the greatest lesson today.  

Exodus 8:25-27   Pharaoh is saying, “Moses, you can serve your God, but you don’t have to leave Egypt to do it.  Serve the Lord, but do it here.”

There are two reasons this will not work:

• Their sacrifices would have offended the Egyptians leading to other problems
•  And it wasn't what God had commanded, He said they would be taken out of Egypt

Exodus 8:28  Pharaoh is saying, “Moses, if your people must separate, then go, but do not go too far away.”

Again, this isn't what God commanded.

Exodus 10:7-11  Pharaoh is saying, "Moses, you can take the men and go serve God, but leave the rest of family out of it.”

Not what God commanded.

Exodus 10:24-26  Pharaoh says, “Moses, if you must serve God, then go ahead, but leave your flocks and herds behind.  Take yourself out of Egypt, but leave your possessions here.”

This wouldn't work either because:

• The Israelites would need their flocks and herds to perform the sacrifices to God.
• And it wasn't what God commanded.

I kept thinking, what is wrong with Pharaoh, doesn't he see the power of God?  Why doesn't he grasp that you can't put stipulations on God? Then the realization hit me that I sometimes, like Pharaoh, add the 'but' statements to the things that the Lord requires of me. Here I was condemning Pharaoh for something I am guilty of. Oh no, I am a hypocrite!  It didn't take long for the Lord to point that out to me.  I did ask Him to put those things in my life that would help me not be a hypocrite, and the example of Pharaoh does make me want to be less of a hypocrite, but so quickly!  It seems a bit harsh.  Wait, I am doing it again...help me Lord be less of a hypocrite, but don't make me feel bad about it! 

I think my problem is bigger than I originally thought.  I am finding myself a living example for this quote:
 
It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.  ~Alfred Adler

I am reminded of the doctrine that Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount about hypocrisy:
Fight it with:

meaningful prayer (Matt 6:5-13)
seek forgiveness and be forgiving (Matt 6:14-15)
meaningful fast (Matt 6:15-21)
focus on the Lord (Matt 6:22)
trust your life to the Lord (Matt 6:25-32)
seek the Kingdom of God first (Matt 6:33)

 It is apparent that I needed this reminder.  I need to work on changing my "I will, but..." statements to just plan "I will!".  Thank goodness for the step by step instructions that Jesus gave us, there is hope, even for a sinner like me!