Practice What I Preach

Matthew 23

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’

8“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

The problem that pharisees had was simple. They would tell the people what God wanted them to do, and then they did not do it themselves. Jesus was always willing to do what He told others they should do. To add to this, they were not just hypocrites, they were prideful and

If I want to been seen as great by God then I need to not care about what others think about me. If I want to be great then I need to serve others even if no one will ever know about. And if I’m willing to tell others how God wants them to live their lives, then I need to be able to live it out myself.

God, help me to be great in Your eyes. Help me to serve others so that Your glory would be known to them. Let my life honor You. Amen.