Self-indulgence
“For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.” Matthew 23:25
Self-indulgence – I don’t like to think of myself as a hypocrite, especially the kind that Jesus names in this curse. But the truth is that I am. God knows it and if I am brutally honest, I know it too. My hypocrisy is the result of this little word, akrasias (self-indulgent). I didn’t see it until I realized that this word means “lack of strength to control my desires”. That describes me. There are things in this world that I long to have and there are things in this world that I acquire because I desire them. But I never stopped to think how this might affect my claim to serve Him.
Self-indulgence used to mean luxury vacations, Ferrari sports cars and a closet full of clothes. God revealed my sinful self-indulgence in an encounter that looked like the first page of the book of Job. But Job was righteous. I was not. God simply removed my wealth so that I could see myself. I was a hypocrite. Now I don’t have all those things, but I am discovering that the inside of the cup and the dish still need a lot of cleaning. I still want the “good life”. And I still make choices that show the grip possessions have on me. My spending is not ostentatious now, but I am still taking care of my modified desires instead of listening to Jesus asking me to take care of someone else’s need.
It’s really simple. Jesus says, “If someone begs, give”, “If someone requires service, do more than necessary”, “If someone needs, provide.” How am I going to do that if I am spending my money on my own desires? Do you think God says, “Well, take a little for yourself first”? That doesn’t sound like Jesus to me. Did he ever say, “Well, I’ll just get that new thing first and then I’ll worry about all those lost people.” Time to put your money where your mouth is.
One reason why we are so quick to point to the “hypocrites” we know is that we don’t want to embrace the life Jesus suggests. One way to measure how much we resist is to ask how often we think, “Do I really need to spend my money like this, or could God put it to better use?” I look at my life today, considerably diminished in possessions, and I still need to ask, “Have I been transformed into a man who embraces the life Jesus offers or am I simply constrained because of the circumstances God has arranged?”
Acknowledging my hypocrisy is the first step toward forgiveness and transformation. The second step is to repent of my powerlessness over what I want. It’s a learned behavior.
