Don't sell out Jesus.

I recently read about a pastor who moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.

As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'you better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it'. Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Besides, the bus company already gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet.'

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."

The driver with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new pastor in town? I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change."

As soon as he stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole with a tight grip and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

It's the little things, isn't it? I know we're always on the lookout to make sure that we don't commit the "big" sins- otherwise we might be a poor testimony to those outside the faith. So we go to the right social events, see R rated movies on the other side of town, and keep all of our fingers on the wheel when someone cuts us off in traffic.

So why is Christianity so quickly becoming a non-factor in its influence on culture? Because we've sold the Son for a quarter- that's why! We're so focused on the external appearance of our 'testimony' that we've forgotten the most important thing: people don't care what you know until they know that you care. In order to show people that compassion of Christ, we must first start by letting the Holy Spirit change us from the inside out.

There were people in Jesus' day who loved to show everyone what a great testimony they had. They prayed long prayers in public, never missed church, recited Scripture, wore religious symbols, and generally gave the impression that they had 'super-sized' their spirituality.

Jesus despised them.

The strongest things Jesus ever said were never directed at the "sinful" people- but He sure opened up a can on the pretentious pietistic people of the day. Here is one example of Christ's feelings towards them:

"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds." (Matthew 23:25-28)

Don't mince words, Jesus- how do you really feel?

These folks suffered from an extreme case of what I would call "outward-itis"...only what people could see mattered to them.

God has a different plan. He wants us to start by looking at what is wrong in our hearts before we start coming off 'religious' to others. The world definitely does not need more Bible thumping bobble head figures who can simultaneously say "God Bless" to a cashier while at the same time pocketing the extra change they receive. Unbelievers need to believe that we believe- which requires us to be real, admit mistakes, and take care of the little things.

Bottom line: before you fasten the WWJD bracelet on your wrist- make sure it is emblazoned on your heart!

It starts with the basics. Smile. Say 'please' and 'thank you'. Open doors. Let folks with fewer items ahead of you in line. Give back change- and on and on...

This week, watch and pray for opportunities. Most importantly, listen to the instruction from the One who can keep you from selling Him for a quarter:

Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty. (Matthew 23:11-12)