people say with their lips that they love the Lord, but are so far away from Him.~Mike MacIntosh

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?" He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" Mark 7:5-7 It's such a sad commentary that people say with their lips that they love the Lord, but are so far away from Him. The Bible tells us that one of the signs of the end of the world is that people will have a form of godliness, but will deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). There are people who sure look godly, but they are deceiving themselves and others. Godliness isn't about words, it's about the Lord Jesus Christ living in you and working through you. You see, the power of godliness should change your language, your attitude, and your outlook on life. It should change how you handle money and how you interact with people. It should cause you to wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning Father, what do you have for me today?" Godliness is a result of a relationship with God. And when godliness is absent from your life, you are just giving lip service -- you are doing your own thing throughout the day. God doesn't need lip service. He wants a relationship with you. It always amazes me that God wants me. And He wants you. He wants you to spend forever with Him. I mean, He has the angels and He has the creative power to do whatever He wants at any time. And yet, He chooses to love us and to be patient with us. He is just waiting for you to come home and be with Him because He loves you. He is madly in love with you. He is not a religious guy up there saying, "Now if you can keep all the traditions, I might let you into my club." No, He is saying, "I'm your Father. You wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Me creating you. I love you and while it may be painful for a few years down there on that planet, eventually you're going to see the big picture, you're going to spend forever with Me and, you know, you'll never want anything. Trust Me that I am always allowing things to come into your life that will only strengthen you and better you, because I love you." So when we think about how much God loves us and accepts us, then living a life of love and service for Him comes into perspective. Why would we ever just want to give lip service to the One who gave us a new life and a promise of spending eternity together with Him? Let's be a people of God who really love, serve, and worship Him.