Practice What You Preach

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

“You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?” - Romans 2:21

If you see an obese man selling a weight-loss plan, you probably have two questions. First, does he use the plan? If so, it doesn't seem to work. Secondly, if he doesn't use it, why not … or more to the point, why should you?

It is interesting that a car dealer may be eager to sell you a car. Yet the model he drives may be completely different than the one he is selling. A financial advisor may suggest you invest in certain stocks or bonds, but he may be investing in something completely different himself.

We like people who practice what they preach. This is especially true in the Christian community. Some who have preached about the highest form of conduct have been exposed for living in the lowest depths of sin. We've come to expect this of our politicians, but it is heartbreaking to see this occur in the lives of Christians.

As Christians, we are called to live at a higher standard than the unbelieving world. We are called to live holy lives. As followers of Jesus, we should strive to grow and become more like Christ in our words and deeds. I can't speak on your behalf, but I know I fail at this often.

Although we cannot achieve perfection in this life, we should be responsive to the process of sanctification. The Lord is actively working to make us holy. He expects us to cooperate with His work as we obey His Word. Yes, it should be our desire and goal to practice what we preach.

But are we practicing what we preach?

Practicing what we preach is dependent on two things.

PREACHING WHAT IS RIGHT

The reason many church members never face criticism is that they are not verbal witnesses for Jesus. A person can't practice what they preach if they never preach anything.

Many want to simply go under the radar and never be scrutinized for their Christian walk. For them, it is safe to be silent. They simply want to be secret Christians that never put themselves on the line for their faith. While it is true that they are rarely criticized for their faith, their cowardice also keeps them from being effective in the Lord's work.

We are called to be bold for the Lord.

Although you may never pastor a church, conduct an evangelistic crusade or preach a sermon in church, as a Christian you are called to be a vital, visible and verbal witness for Christ.

It is imperative that we boldly share the Gospel. We shouldn't be pushy or arrogant. Instead, we should lovingly speak the truth, with love.

PRACTICING WHAT IS RIGHT

Speaking the truth is vital. But it is also important to live the truth. We need to practice what we preach. The best doctrine falls flat before an unbelieving world if they fail to see godliness in our lives.

Practicing what we preach isn't easy. If you're like me, you make mistakes and fail often. Yet even in these moments, we can still practice what we preach. When we practice genuine repentance, ask for forgiveness, make restitution and go the extra mile to make things right after a failure, we are practicing what we preach.

We should never be secret saints. We should never be silent Christians. Some want to be known as Christians without saying anything. Others want to be bold witnesses without modeling the message they are conveying. God has called us to share a message and fulfill a mission. We need to be faithful in both.

We need to practice what we preach.