The Real Article

To be, or to do, that is the question….
(with apologies to Shakespeare!)


In my last contribution to this column, with reference to the personal motto of William Carey, I urged the reader to ‘expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.”

However, central to any fulfillment in life and lasting use for God in the building of His Kingdom is the need to be the person that He wants more than doing what He wants.

As I write this, a quirky statement has come to the forefront of my thoughts. “What’s the best vitamin for a Christian? B1, of course!”

There are many reasons that we should be the real article.

From a practical point of view its clear that who we are matters more than what we do. This can easily be illustrated by the example of the person for whom we are always saying, “They do so much good and then waste it all by letting their true self show through.” Do you know someone like that? Their good work is lost because underneath bitterness and frustration exists and, from time to time, surfaces. People are, understandably, wary of these folk.

More importantly, from a Heavenly point of view it matters because, as we are reminded in 1 Samuel 16:7, “man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart”. God is never pleased when we try to impress others by our good actions. It’s a cheap imitation of how God intended our life to be – a life of fullness, rather than deceit.

The Scriptures urge us to “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Heb 13:14). It is in this way that we can be as well as do. Perhaps you may wish to give some thought over this next week about the ‘clothes’ in your life that you may need to take off in order that you can be clothed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps Shakespeare was right after all; perhaps it is just a question of, “To be or not to be”. Perhaps pretending is never an option.

Graeme Parkhill