REALIZE WHAT’S REAL

Some people are fakes—other people are real. Fake people follow the lead of the world—real people follow the lead of the Word. Fake people follow perverted (worldly) choices—real people follow preferred (Godly) choices. It’s a choice! Realizing what’s real points to the right choice!

Last week I wrote a blog about fake people. While many contend that fakes are in the majority, I believe the number of real people is increasing. After reading the blog, a lady in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, sent me an e-mail saying that she desired to be real and asked if I could I provide some descriptive help? Here goes…

1. Real people prefer to focus on what is important. When Tua Tagavailoa threw the last-second touchdown to win a National Championship, he was interviewed about how he did it. He said, “First I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I want to give all of the glory to God.” Jose Altuve, the smallest player in Major League Baseball, was selected as the 2017 Most Valuable Player. When interviewed, he said, “The best success is to live your life the way God wants you to.” Steph Curry, Most Valuable Player in the NBA, said, “Whether it’s winning games, losing games, making shots, missing shots—it’s all about giving God the glory.” These people are real!

2. Real people prefer to live with integrity. Warren Buffet says, “When looking for a person to hire, you should look for three qualities—integrity, intelligence, and energy. If the person doesn’t have the first—integrity—the other two will kill you!” Proverbs 28:6 says, “More blessed is a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” Proverbs 10:9 says, “People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.” Integrity can’t be bought—integrity is what real people develop as they seek to do God’s will in every situation.

3. Real people prefer to give rather than to get. Tony Bennett, head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers, won the college basketball national championship last year. As expected, the school offered him a “substantial” raise. Bennett turned down the raise because he said he didn’t really need it. Instead, he wanted to give it to other members of his staff and to some organizations who were doing things to meet the needs of people. He did it “to honor and thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” His wife, Laurel, was a youth director at the church he attended in college. He gave credit to Laurel for helping him make this decision. Real people listen to real people who focus on need and not greed.

4. Real people prefer to care about others. Caring is not just talking, but also doing. It’s reaching out to make a difference in other people’s lives. The lady who sent me the e-mail is going to set up a “pop-up” listening booth where she and some friends go downtown with some chairs, a table, and banana bread. They will ask people how their day is going and offer to sit, talk, and, most importantly, listen without judgment. That’s real! Real people experience real joy when they put caring into action. Read Matthew 25:31–46.

You can always move from the fake to the real. That’s what God’s grace is about. Being real doesn’t mean you are perfect. It means that you are making preferred choices to become the person that God created you to be.

Preferred (Godly) choices lead to a Real Life!