You can’t paint two pictures at one time

Even if you’re ambidextrous, it’s impossible. Why? Because your mind, heart, and soul cannot be completely fixed on both at the same time.

It’s almost the New Year, and while the “Christian side” of your family will likely pray prayers of praise and resolution, the “non-Christian” side will likely celebrate with inappropriate partying.

Similarly is the workplace and school. The Godly folk seem boring. They never seem to have any fun. In fact, they are too godly—at least, you think. The cool people, the not-so-strict Christians, are normally the popular.

This leaves you with a decision. Will you choose God or the World?

Most of the time, people don’t decide one over the other. Therefore, they try to paint two pictures at one time. The worst part? They believe they are okay. I mean, what’s wrong with having two lives, two faces, and four eyes?

Well, it can blind you completely into foolishness. 

This is one of those situations where we are “Blinded By An Extra Set Of Eyes.” Together, let’s learn how to be who God’s called us to be.

James 1:5-8 says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

The Bible describes Godly wisdom as follows, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere” (James 3:17). Wise people are “marked by deep understanding, keen discernment, and a capacity for sound judgement.”

Unwise people are considered foolish in the Bible. Foolish people are “lacking in sense, judgement, or discretion; irreverent.” In Mark 7, foolishness is considered one of the many sinful and selfish aspects of the human heart. Among it lies lust, adultery, murder, greed, pride…You get the point!

Solomon, the wisest man who has ever lived, said, “People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the lord” (Proverbs 19:3).

What does all of this mean? How does it relate to the two pictures that represent two lives?

You see, James begins his discussion about loyalty with a word on asking for wisdom. He says that divided loyalty—two lives—hampers the request of gaining Godly wisdom. 

Why do I care if I have wisdom? Why be loyal to God, COMPLETELY?

The foolish decision of living a double-faced life builds-up and builds-up and builds-up in more foolishness. Eventually, you will be armed on Satan’s army, loyal to him alone and completely against God.

You see, you GROW in the life that you CHOOSE.

And Jesus said, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them.  They are BLIND guides leading the BLIND, and if one BLIND person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch” (Matthew 15:13-14).

As Jesus said in Matthew 15, blinded people lead blinded people until they both fall. However, the Bible also says, “And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:18).

The life that you live greatly affects the life that others live.

Isaiah the prophet prophesized about these spiritually blind people, “These people say they are mine. They honor me [God] with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…” (Isaiah 29:13).

Therefore, living this foolish, double-faced life may look innocent on the outside, but what about the heart?

I want to leave you with some encouragement as you face the temptations to give-in to two-faced living:

God made YOU too BEAUTIFUL for you to be someone you’re not.

Sometimes, those people in your life that seem like your best FRIENDS are actually your biggest ENEMIES in disguise. They will blind you to match their own blindness. Seek God’s WISDOM and not the world’s FOOLISHNESS.

When we lay down the other brush; when we pull away the other picture; when we surrender the other life to Jesus and finally begin to SEE, we begin to paint the picture that HE has CALLED us to. We begin to live the life HE has CALLED us to.

Proverbs 12:28 says, “The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.”

Live the life more abundantly he has provided, set your eyes to him, and dream BIG this New Year!