Why would I want to be like that?

Here is the question that we will be taking on this week in TREK:
Christians often seem to say they believe one thing and act in very different ways. I see so-called Christians do many of the same things that non-Christians do and sometimes they are even worse. I know a lot of non-Christians who are nicer people than some of the people I know who claim to be Christians. So, why would I want to become a Christian?

This one hits a little close to home. My initial reaction at times is to get defensive. It is easy to say that the claim, although valid at some level, is just a straw man that people use as a crutch to keep them from making real changes in their lives rather than an honest obstacle in their pursuit of faith. Just writing that comes across as a touch over pious, as if I have a rather large plank in my own. I’m just being honest I guess.
My defensiveness is unwarranted. Jesus himself would often challenge the religious establishment to take a break from their loud, public display of “righteousness” to deal with a soul that was far from God. I admit, I get caught up in all of it. Looking the part, setting the example and appearing to have it together. This seems to be what gets Jesus so aggravated. James defines true religion as “looking after the widow and the orphan”. When Jesus is challenging the Pharisees in Mathew he says they concern themselves with “justice, mercy and faithfulness”.
So now what? How do I as a Christ follower live in such a way as to “let my life shine before men” (Matthew 5:16) while at the same time being careful “not to do my acts of righteousness before men (Matthew 6:1)? What is the difference?

Tags: hypocrisy, Tough Questions, TREK