"Chameleons"

"Ye shall know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:16a

I was talking with a friend last night and they were sharing their concerns about a guy they work with. For a couple of weeks he did not have transportation to work so my friend was giving him a ride each day. The friend said that they had conversations about Jesus and talked about the Bible the whole time while traveling back and forth to work because this guy says he is a Christian. The area of concern is this- now that the guy has his own transportation again, he is spending his time with other guys at work who are not Christians (by their own profession). And my friend told me that this guy doesn't talk about the Bible any more, he doesn't mention Jesus, he joins in with whatever they are doing and acts just like them. There is no difference that is evident between him and these other guys.

There are a lot of people like this, and sadly many who call themselves Christians. They act one way at church and another way elsewhere. They get around other Christians and they talk a good talk, but when they get around the unsaved, their speech is just like theirs. They are one way in certain settings and another way in others. If they think it is to their profit they will act like whoever they are around. I call them "Chameleons".

A Chameleon is a lizard that has the ability to change its color in order to blend in with its surroundings. One time when you see it it might be brown, the next time it might be green- it depends on where you see it. Did you know that the dictionary attributes this word to people as well. It defines the person with this characteristic as: a changeable, fickle, or inconstant person. These people are talked about in the Bible also. James defines them as "double minded and unstable in all their ways". Jesus defines them as hypocrites.

How would you define your life? Are you who you say you are no matter where you are or who you are around? Do you change your "colors" when you are around people who don't share your beliefs? Do you act one way with certain groups and another way with others? Do you say one thing and do another? Do you say one thing but live another way? Are you consistent in your profession of the Lord all the time? Is your lifestyle consistent wherever you are or who you are with?

Have a great day. Are you like a Chameleon blending in with your surroundings and acting like whoever you are around?

For further reading:
James 1:8; 4:8
2 Corinthians 6:17
Mark 7:6
Matthew 5:16