Godly Character Quality #3: Sincerity!

The third character quality of a good Christian is a very important one to me: sincerity! The operational definition (Provided by Bill Gothard and the Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar family!) is this: Sincerity vs. Hypocrisy: eagerness to do what is right with transparent motives. - 1 Peter 1:22.

I think it is really important for everyone to be sincere about what they do. Otherwise, what is the point in doing it? Everyone needs a purpose in life, a cause to work for with a passionate heart.

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ," (Philippians 1:9-10)

In other words, support what YOU believe in. If you just pretend to support something you don't really care about, or worse, don't believe in, you are being a hypocrite. It will cause other people hurt and they could very well be offended. They would think, "It's okay for everyone not to have the same opinions, but why do you something you don't believe in? You should feel sincere about what you do!"

The definition of the word hypocrisy is: Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is therefore a kind of lie in itself.

Think about that. I often catch myself or my family saying something hypocritical. I have never really thought about it as if we were lying! I know that one of my biggest pet peeves of all is when people won't tell me something. I can't stand secrets! I'm a bit nosy, I'll admit, and it just grates on my nerves. However, there are a lot of things that I would like to keep private and not tell anyone else. That right there is an example of me being hypocritical.

My goal is to mind my own business more than I currently do. Everyone has their boundaries that they feel comfortable with and I want to respect those.I'm sure it will be hard, but with prayer I can succeed. Anyone can! I am eager to begin doing more of what is right and less of what is wrong. Plain and simple, that is my goal for the new year!

God Bless,

Sydney

Think about it: What does sincerity mean to YOU?