Mt23

Do we practice what we preach? If our kids turn out to be "just like us", will we be proud of who they become? Or, are we trying to teach them to become someone different than who we are?

The religious leaders of Jesus' day were masters at telling others what to do, while ignoring their own instruction. They followed carefully the letter of the law, but completely ignored the heart of God behind the law! With their words they honored God, but their lives were far from Him.

We all know people who are total hypocrites. We all struggle with hypocrisy from time to time. It is difficult to be the person we know we should be. We all want to do and be better. But what separates us from the average Pharisee? What makes our faith authentic and theirs fake? I would suggest two things; honesty and humility.

We need to encourage others and, at the same time, be honest about our own failures. We need to not take credit for any successes we experience, but rather, give glory to God. If it wasn't for Jesus, we would all be really messed up.