“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.” Matthew 23:1-3, ESV
Do you tell others to trust God, but you don’t?
Do you tell others to have faith, but your don’t?
Do you tell others to love and forgive, but you don’t?
Do you tell others to resist temptation, but you don’t?
Do you tell others to pray and seek God’s face, but you don’t?
May the Spirit of the Lord arrest our hearts. May He convict us with His truth. It’s so easy to preach. Anyone with a Bible and a platform can stand up and talk to others about how they should live their lives, how they should respond to challenges they face, and how they ought to handle themselves. It doesn’t take a special person to preach. However, it does require a real love for God to practice it. It does require real loyalty to God to not turn on Him when things doesn’t suit us. It does require a real believer to live in the light of His truth no matter how uncomfortable it makes us. What good is having a relationship with God if it can only be seen publicly? There has to be a private conviction that’s just as strong. When we say how much we love Him, but our lives doesn’t show it, this breaks God’s heart. It grieves His Holy Spirit, and I believe it causes angels assigned to us to weep. God wants real love. He wants real loyalty. He wants real worship with our lives.
Prayer: My God, forgive my hypocrisy. Forgive me for every time I’ve preached to others one thing, and did another. Help me to practice what I preach. Help me to trust you the way I tell others to trust you. Help me to resist temptation the way I tell others to resist temptation. Help me Jesus. Strengthen my walk with you Lord. Help me to worship you not just with my lips, but with my life. Let my life preach so much louder than my words. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read Matthew 23
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