Do You Know What It Means To Be Sincere?
Good Morning Friends,
A friend of mine at choir practice yesterday suggested I write a devotional on the word “sincere”. He reminded me of the folk tale story of sculptors using wax to cover up their mistakes where the test of truth was that the works of art be sine cera….the Latin meaning, without wax. It is a nice play on words and relates well to the test of sincerity usually being around money but according to the Oxford English Dictionary it not the true etymology of the word “sincerity”. The OED says the etymology of the English word “sincerity” actually derives from the Latin “sincerus,” meaning a clean or pure sound. It is the communication of the tone of our spirit that grows in us and resonates in us. Appropriate for choir practice. Do You Know What It Means To Be Sincere?
Scripture: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
Ephesians 6:10-20 (NRSV)
Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God—and all the more toward you.
2 Corinthians 1:12 (NRSV)
For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many; but in Christ we speak as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God and standing in his presence.
2 Corinthians 2:17 (NRSV)
Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.
1 Peter 1:22 (NRSV)
Message: Typically when the Scriptures speak of sincerity, it means a genuine and singular desire to please the Lord. Frankly I even used to sign letters, sincerely yours, as a sign of this tradition, but today this genuine heartfelt and frank approach is pretty rare. Oscar Wilde put it this way, “A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.”
So today we seek a little objective and subjective truth. But not so much as to kill us.
Today we seek a little breath control so our voice might be true. You see, scripture instructs us to love sincerely, but being true to our best self is not easy.
We have to fight for that pure tone of an on key note.
We have to fight to be more open to love. And it all is a bit counterintuitive. Yesterday I touched on the problem in a devotional. It was about putting on the full armor of God to fight evil. You see Christians are engaged in a spiritual battle to be pure. And fight we must for moral strength is not enough. Ethical wisdom and high ideals are insufficient. Personal commitment to justice and righteousness fall short. If we take the great commission seriously then we will need to girdle ourselves with the belt of truth, for it holds together all other virtues… We need to be honest and sincere in our singing with a breath that holds the message of the Gospel together consistent with our tone. So friends, if we are to convey the message of Christ, it cannot be about waxing eloquently but must be about opening up our voice to God in prayer. That is what singing sincerely and lovely is all about. That is how we are to fight the good fight. That is how we are to sing God’s praises as messengers of peace.
Pray we are willing to be honest with each other in our laughing and in our crying and in our singing. Pray we learn to love one another sincerely, deeply from the heart in conjunction with God’s love in us. Pray we demonstrated a sincere and living faith that fights victoriously. Pray we have a sincere expectation of God’s grace and help. Pray that we are able to prove we are sincere when it comes to asking for forgiveness. Pray that we be strong. Pray that we be aware.
Pray we have both sincerity and restraint in our actions with others. Pray we are sincere in doing our duty. Pray we conquer our will and submit to God’s. Pray we open up to sing our life with a purer, sweeter and richer voice. Pray we hear sincerely as well as sing sincerely.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 