Be more concerned with how you look to God than how you look in the mirror.

A hypocrite is a person who pretends to be different from what he or she really is. When Jesus was on Earth, there were no bigger phonies than the religious leaders (the scribes and Pharisees). They portrayed themselves as being holy and righteous because they followed technical rituals (that they made up themselves).

Jesus called them hypocrites because they bragged about their extreme habits of cleanliness, but internally, where it mattered, their motives were evil and filthy. The scribes and Pharisees were concerned only with what other people saw on the outside. They failed to realize that God is interested in what is happening on the inside.

Centuries later, many of us are acting like the first century religious leaders. We put on a good show on the outside, but our thoughts and attitudes are not pleasing to God. We may be able to fool other people, but we can’t fool God.

“You try to look like upright people outwardly, but inside your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:28