Practice What You Preach
28 August 2017
‘Practice what you preach’. This is the tough message Jesus gives as he condemns the actions of the Pharisees. Let’s break it open!
At the heart of Jesus’ criticism is that fact that the Pharisees knew of God, but did not know God. They had focused on an intellectual understanding of the external actions of religion, but had never encountered what lies at its heart. They lacked a deep and personal encounter with God; the exact gift Jesus gives you today.
When it comes to faith, many people speak about what is in their heads. They try to understand the mind of God. They try to fit revelation within reason. Yet the silent work of the Holy Spirit in our lives defies explanation.
It is the remarkable act of God to love us amidst our brokenness, that goes beyond mere human understanding. We all know the song ‘amazing grace’ that seeks to capture this love that has been gifted to us by God.
‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.’
Anyone who has encountered the ‘amazing grace’ alive in their lives will tell you how real, how tangible it is in their life. It is the love we receive from encountering Christ that we are called to share, not our intellectual understanding of God.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be like the Pharisees when I speak of faith, letting my head do the talking. I want to let me heart to do the talking. After all, this is how they will know we follow Christ – ‘by your love.’ (John 13:35)
Today, let us practice what we preach as we open our hearts and minds to encountering Christ and to seek to hear the silent voice of the Holy Spirit in your life today.