My mother and father and grandparents and teachers and pastors and every other authority figure in my life admonished me to practice what you preach. It’s good advice, even if difficult to carry out.

Jesus excoriated the national religious leaders in front of a large crowd for just such a failure: The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Jesus laid out example after example of how these men failed to practice what they preached. They talked a good game, but inside were blind guides full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Practice what you preach—the bottom line when it comes to living an authentic life and credible faith. The failure to do so among our leaders frustrates us, just as our failures frustrate others. It’s no surprise when those of us who preach (myself included) neglect mercy and faithfulness, we leave people cold to the ways of faith.

Some lessons never grow stale. Practice what you preach. Easy to say, hard to do.

Matthew 23 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Alena Jarrett