The Real Deal

When a culture loves and worships Celebrity authenticity is doomed. The fad will continue until people get sick of unreal, artificial life. It may take a while and it will take some pain but the time will come when people get hungry for authenticity. Nothing satisfies like the real deal.

It may seem odd that people will crave authenticity and genuineness in light of our apparent fixation for deception and distortion. We may not understand it; but we humans were made for relational integrity.

We were created with a magnetic pull toward reality while at the same time we have a natural pull toward unreality. It’s what happens when God mixes dust into a human shape and infuses it with Spirit-breath. It’s the push/pull between flesh and spirit; the yin and yang of eastern thought. (More about that on another day-let’s keep to the real deal now.)

Authenticity was birthed by the Great God who is real. It flows out of God’s nature for it is who God is. God is real. When God incarnated at Bethlehem at the intersection of history and eternity, Jesus-the God-man, began a revolution for Relational Integrity. He modeled it 24/7. He not only embodied personal integrity, He projected relational integrity in His dealings with others. Jesus told the truth, did the truth, showed the truth and lifted up the truth every second of His life. Jesus is the poster child for the “double S” boys, you know them as Socrates “Know Yourself” and Shakespeare “To thine own self be true.” 

No one was ever more honest, genuine and truthful than Jesus 
and yet He was never rude. 
He had relational integrity. 
He was one with His Father. 
He was whole within Himself and projected genuineness and authenticity because He was not putting up a front. He never attempted to appear to be something He wasn’t. He related well with people from all walks of life and in vastly different circumstances. 



Rich, poor, female, male, Jew, Gentile. . . Jesus could relate. He was The Real Deal. He was authentic and genuine because that is what God is and is like. Jesus let His inner self be seen. He was the ultimate “vulnerable guy.” And it saved the world. Jesus showed us what love is, what love does and how love acts. He was genuine and it showed. And here’s why: Authenticity and Genuineness are rooted in projecting and providing an honest representation of who we are to others.

May God help us be the Real Deal; God knows our world needs it.

LINK to the audio file for "Honest Talk, Honest Walk...the blessing of Relational Integrity" on September 25, 2016