PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH!
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show. —Matthew 23:1-5
“Practice what you preach” is a saying that is heard from time to time and just means “Do what you say.” It is not enough just to say words. Actions must follow speech. So many people today just say words without the actions following. Politicians do this all too often. Eloquent words flow from their mouths but their opposite actions or inactions speak a whole lot louder than their words. This is true in the spiritual realm as well. Leaders in the local churches need to be living according to the Word of God they speak. Otherwise they are being hypocritical and they are giving others opportunity to point this out. This is truly a poor testimony from those who claim the Name of Jesus.
In the above verses Jesus tells us that we are to obey the Word of God even if those speaking it are not. For those not living out what God’s Word says, well, Jesus told us not to follow their example. Plain and simply Jesus said of the teachers and Pharisees that they were not practicing what they were preaching.
How about you and I who are following the Lord Jesus? Are we practicing what we are preaching? Are we living according to the Word of God we speak? Are we being hypocritical by saying one thing and living another? No person is perfect, but as followers of Jesus Christ we need to have a consistently obedient lifestyle to honor Him. May we do so!
Dear Father, please help me to live faithfully to Your Word that I share with others. Oh, may I not speak one thing and then live the opposite way. No, instead, may I practice what I preach in the Name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit.