I once lied to my mom (sorry mom).  When I was seven years old, I got into my mom’s jewelry cabinet, and in an attempt to test the strength of sterling silver, I snapped one of her necklaces … actually, it was her favorite necklace that had a locket on it with a picture of my family in it.  I felt terrible, not because I’d actually broken my mom’s favorite necklace, but because it meant that I was going to be in trouble.  I was going to look bad to my entire family. 

One of my great flaws is that I have to look good.  It doesn’t matter what’s going on around me, I have to look like I’ve got it all under control; I have to look just right, a cut above.  And when I broke my mom’s necklace, the threat of punishment challenged my fundamental flaw.  A couple of days later, my mom asked me if I knew who broke her necklace, and I, right then and there, decided to look good instead of doing good.  I lied.  On the outside, I maintained my appearance, my reputation, but on the inside, I felt hollow.

And I wonder how often we (or me) still do the same thing today.  Politicians spend millions to look good, but under it all, do they really do good?  Lawyers (of whom I know a few) have oak furniture in their offices and nice wall art, but under it all, do they do good?  Churches (of which I know a few) spend God’s resources to look good (you know, the latest programming trend, the best small groups curriculum), but are they really doing good?

Are we lying to ourselves and to everyone around us just like a 7-year-old who broke his mom’s favorite necklace? Here’s what I’ve found.  You can look good with the best of them, but unless you actually do good, you’re empty on the inside.  You will never measure up to the hype.  In fact, hype will be all that you are as you become just like one of those candied Easter bunnies:  chocolate on the outside, but hollow on the inside.

(By the way, I am not advocating a works-based system of getting yourself into Heaven.  What I am suggesting is that if God is really alive inside of you, then you will be compelled to do good things.  The God in you produces the works outside of you.)

Be honest.  Do you do good things, or do you just look good?