WATCHWORD:
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 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. Matthew 23:1-3
Meditation:
Humble Yourself
Over the span of our Christian lives, we’ve heard of any number of scandals of high-visibility Christian teachers and preachers who have gone astray. Who put on a show of modeling the way of Christ, the way we should live, yet have been involved in scams, immorality, and we find when the cameras are off, and there’s no one to impress, they walk a completely different path.
To be sure, there are any number of strong Christian preachers, teachers, and those who live as Christ would have us. We see them on television, in our churches, in our neighborhoods, and, no doubt, in our homes. We may take note of it, we may learn from what they say and do, and then we may apply it to the way we live our lives. All of that is good. We all learn from such models.
But I think we all know that ‘talking the walk’, so to speak, is so much easier, and requires hardly any effort, than ‘walking the talk’. Surrendering our lives to Christ is simply the starting point to our new life. It’s the next step that tears us away from how we lived our lives before, that is not easy nor without pitfalls and backsliding. Loving as Christ loves us…easy to say, but it is in the acting out, that we sometimes stumble and find ourselves face-to-face with ourselves.
In the Matthew passage, Jesus is telling us to live as we have been instructed but beware of how those who teach and preach live their lives. He goes on to talk about whitewashed tombs when referring to teachers of the law, who elevate themselves, profit themselves, and pride themselves on the positions they hold, without love or compassion for those they are to serve. They do not practice their declaration of Christ’s love.
Here’s a test: Look In a mirror with honest eyes and humble hearts, if you dare. What do you see? A charlatan, a Pharisee, or the likeness of our Lord and Savior? I pray that it is the latter.
Closing Prayer:
Help us heavenly father to turn our backs on selfish pride and false humility and the worship of wealth and pleasures and return to you Lord. Create in each one of us a clean heart, a heart for the way of Christ, to follow You and only You. Amen.
