In Matthew 23, the Lord challenges His disciples to “practice what they preach.” And, He gives us the same challenge. I was thinking about those two words – practice and preach. Preaching is what you say – what you proclaim. Preaching is telling others what you believe. The definition of “preaching” is “to proclaim and make known.” We understand preaching. But, practicing…

Practicing is the application of our preaching. Practicing is performing and exercising regularly what we say so that it is seen in both our words and our actions. Practicing is “habitual or customary performance.” In order to be credible and believable, we can’t say one thing but act in the contrary. We must be consistent, constant, and reliable – not just “talking the talk” but “walking the walk.” Jesus’ warning in Matthew 23 can be applied to all of our lives. There, He points out hypocrisy and calls His followers to a different life – one of endorsing our words through actions.

As followers of Jesus, let’s examine our lives and see if there is any place where we are “preaching” but not “practicing.” Then, let’s ask God for His forgiveness and change our actions. Let’s be men and women who don’t just say that we believe in Jesus, but whose lives reflect that truth.

This is Andrew Palau.