Don’t Be a Mockingbird

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)

The other day I had the opportunity to observe a mockingbird. Mockingbirds are known for their ability to mimic the sounds of not only other birds, but also the sounds of insects. The call of a mockingbird can be deceiving. The mockingbird sounds like the real sound of something else. 

Jesus spoke harshly of the Pharisees, referring to them as hypocrites, people who pretended to be something they were not. They pretended to live the life of a true follower of God, but their actual behavior revealed something else.

The writer to the Hebrews in the New Testament reminds us: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). God knows if we are only pretending to be a follower of Christ.

In order to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we must avoid, at all cost, pretending to be something we are not. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah wrote, “You plan great things and you do mighty deeds. You see everything people do. You reward each of them for the way they live and for the things they do.”

We want to be sure we are not “mockingbird Christians” who only hear the Word and do not practice the Word in our everyday life. We want to truly represent God’s Word to the world through all that we say and do.

Today, ask yourself:

In what ways is my life a true representation of how God’s wants his children to live?