Values No 1 : Practice what you preach. Don't be a hypocrite

"(27) What sorrows await you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs - beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. (28) Outwardly you look like righteous people; but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness."
                                                             Matthew 23:27-28.  New Living Translation

For the next few days or so, let us look at Christian values and how they affect the way we present ourselves to the world. Jesus, in Matthew 7:12, quoted what is known as The Golden Rule, 'Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you' (NLT). This verse says it all. If you're wanting to be liked, loved, respected and whatever else, you must give it out firstly. In other words, you reap what you sow. If you give out bad things, then you will receive the same in return. If you speak harshly to someone, chances are they will speak harshly to you as well.

One of the dangers in our Christian walk, is what I call, The Behind Closed Doors Syndrome. You can preach, teach, pray for people and show them Christian love and compassion. You can then return home and throw a wobbly over something that either happened at church, on the journey home or within your home. 

For some people, it's like they're two people - the fine upstanding Christian man or woman at church, but at home, the moaning, grumbling, argumentative person that your family see, and your neighbours hear  In the car, someone may cut you up or be driving too slow, and because you own the road, you decide to throw a wobbly and use a few unsavoury words to reinforce this situation. On arrival at church, all of this can change and you turn into the delightful person, you want people to see. Then at home, because you are relaxed and don't have to put on an act, you can turn into the green monster.

This needs to stop and right now! Why? Because it is hypocrisy. It is what Jesus is talking about in our scripture. It is not only the things that we say that are most important but the things that we do. If we claim to be a Christian but Jesus' teaching is not evident in every area of our lives, then we are nothing but hypocrites. Jesus' words, not mine.

We all have problems such as this, so you are not unique. We all have the ability to be hypocritical at times. However, this does not make it okay. We must be committed to changing our behaviour and living for Jesus, each minute of each day.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com