[021] A Message From A Poem - Artificial People Living Artificial Lives

[021] A MESSAGE FROM A POEM - ARTIFICIAL PEOPLE LIVING ARTIFICIAL LIVES

They say you can’t trust funeral directors, real estate agents (relators) and used car salesmen. That may be a generalisation but I think it does contain an element of truth. Anyway, moving to the core of the subject here . . .

Have you seen some quick interview with a famous person such as a superficial film star or politician, and they might end the interview with something like “God bless you all,” or “Love you all.” Of course they don’t believe it. They are artificial. They just mouth words.

The world is full of artificial people. They are not genuine. “I’ll get back to you about that,” and you know it will never happen. People put up a pretence; they fake it; thy live behind a mask.

There was a time when we could trust people and trust their word. Now we can’t. They are artificial. They are truce breakers, a word used in the AV – {{2 Timothy 3:3 – “Without natural affection, TRUCEBREAKERS, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good”}}

The Greek word for hypocrite is “?p????ta? (hypokritai)” a word applied to a play actor – an actor under an assumed character. The actors held up a mask before their faces to represent the character they were playing in the theatre. That is how we got the word. Artificial people are no more than play actors. They pretend to be what they are not.

I don’t wish to be nasty here, but in my basket of artificiality I put politicians and film stars in there first, followed by advertisers. The current White House is a good example (2024). These people seriously need to look into a “truth mirror”.

I hope you have never been scammed into buying a “genuine Rolex” for an unbelievable price, or a “genuine Gucci” item at a very special price from some dealer. Yes, it is fake; artificial.

Sadly in this world are artificial people living lives that are artificial. It is all a pretence. That is what this poem is all about. It begins with the world but moves to a Christian application.

ARTIFICIAL PEOPLE LIVING ARTIFICIAL LIVES

Artificiality is seen now ev’rywhere,

As one of the stamps impressed on our society.

We can not believe even those labels goods declare,

Thrown around dishonestly in impropriety.

For we live in deceptive times when truth is maligned,

And people’s genuineness has certainly declined.

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Where are the checks and balances we once enjoyed,

When there was a marked division between false and true;

Those days when a proper, managed discernment was employed?

Genuineness was the victim when morals withdrew.

What do we see in this world when dishonesty thrives?

Artificial people living artificial lives.

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What is false, God hates; what is not genuine, He knows.

God searches each heart; each motive He scrutinises.

The scams of man are multitude – from wickedness flows.

God’s records contain all things; there are no surprises.

Man is fully adept at artificial pretence,

But it is the Lord Jesus, who justice will dispense.

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How can the Christian walk the path through deception’s lie;

To distinguish true from false, and the right from wrong?

The world’s portrait is very bleak causing us to sigh;

With increasing difficulty, we journey along.

It is the world’s vain, and corrupted system that drives

Artificial people living artificial lives.

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“You worship before Me, but your heart is far from Me.

You come into My presence but your mind is elsewhere.

I, the Lord, know the heart; all that is there, I can see.

Cleanse yourselves of falsehood; before Me your heart lay bare.

Be transparent, open to My Spirit, and repent.

Come to Me honestly, heart and mind in full assent.”

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Christians need much discretion to follow faithfully,

Avoiding delusion’s traps and falsehood’s crafty snares.

Follow Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, joyfully,

For He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, He declares.

Not to follow Christ, is the reason that it deprives

Artificial people living artificial lives.

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17 October 2021 R E Ferguson Metre = 13 throughout A-B-A-B-C-C