Every Longing Heart
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Today’s Reading: Galatians 5:13-26
Has anyone else noticed the increasing fascination with generational cohorts? I’m talking about Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and now Gen Alpha. I think it started with marketing agencies figuring out how to target ad campaigns, but now every discipline seems to benefit from studying the commonalities of people born in the same generation. I kinda like it. There are some fascinating insights.
According to the studies, each generation has its own set of values. Gen Z is perhaps the first cohort to be so bombarded by social media ads, promos, and algorithms. That may be why Gen Z’ers consistently say they crave authenticity. They sense they are being manipulated and want people to be real with them.
I think we all want authenticity, because we all want truth (see Dec. 1 devotion). But perhaps it has been harder for the more digital generations to see a real, honest connection. It’s no wonder they want authenticity and transparency.
There was something about the push for authenticity that I didn’t like, though. For the Church (broadly), I saw an uptick in Christian leaders being very relaxed about personal sin in the name of authenticity. It was as if you were either behaving Biblically and a fake or behaving like the world and therefore “real.” I could have screamed. These cussing pastors actually felt very inauthentic to me, because it was a trend they jumped on to gain followers. Why can’t we be authentically …following Jesus? Why can’t we live holy lives, as Scripture commands, and actually do it sincerely?
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1-:14-16 NIV)
I have a few guesses as to why people view lives of holiness with skepticism.
The church has always had its share of hypocrites.
Even if we aren’t outright hypocrites, our fear and pride keep others from seeing our shortcomings, making us feel we need to maintain a pretense of perfection.
Holiness is hard, at least when we try to do it in our own strength.
Again, Jesus takes our hand, focuses our attention, and says, “...my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30 NIV). Let Him help you. Holiness only feels hard when we are trying to do it ourselves. Living a life for Jesus only looks fake when we are working from the outside in.
We think that if we try harder, do better, change our behaviors, and follow all the rules, we will become better Christians. That’s all exterior! No, we ask the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out. We fall in love with Jesus, and that transforms who we are. Then we can work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, and our behaviors will follow.
Indeed, an unregenerate heart will not naturally behave in God-honoring ways. If we don’t feel it, then we have to fake it. So we ask God for regeneration. He can help us live a life that honors Him. . . authentically.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
"He saved us, not because of works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5 NIV)
“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9 NIV)