Impressing People

     We humans are really into impressing people.  Unfortunately, such thinking seeps into our Christian value system as well.  We often become more concerned with Christian activity than with our relationship to Christ.  For example, we go to church every time the doors are open and participate in every activity the church offers, but we only have time for personal Bible study and prayer once or twice a week--or month--or . . . you know.  Our relationship to God and His Word is second-hand.  We forget that God is more concerned with our relationship to Him than in what we do for Him.  And besides, it's so much easier to impress men with how spiritual we are through activity than to impress God with our personal devotion to Him as our Friend.
    In reality, doing spiritual things for personal recognition is worldliness in one of its most dangerous forms.  When we become more concerned with appearing to be spiritual than with being spiritual, we fool ourselves into thinking we stand--when in actuality, we're headed for a disastrous fall.
     Paul suggests that such people are builders with wood, hay, and stumble.  Oh, hauling such things around on our backs is impressive and attention getting.  And it doesn't take a great deal of it to construct a fairly impressive house.  But one spark of adversity or disappointment and--whoosh--up in flames.
     That's not the kind of impression you want to make, is it?  Then build a personal relationship with God through His Word and prayer.