Christian Devotional – June 19, 2021

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 23

What kind of a spiritual leader are we? Read Matthew 23.

As Jesus continues his teachings, he turns his focus to the spiritual leaders of the day. As these people have been leading and teaching the people of Israel, Jesus condemns them for teaching one thing and yet living out something different. He shares with them that he sees the hypocrisy that they live out and that he does not agree that what they are teaching and what they are doing match. Jesus tells the people to follow what they say, but not what they do.

As leaders, it can be very easy to simply tell people what they should do yet God calls us to live it out every day. Our walk must match our talk in order to give credibility and validity to the words we say. People have a right to examine our lives and see if they match up with what we are saying we believe in. We are not perfect, and we are not ever going to be perfect, but the question is are we seeking to follow Christ more every day and are we repentant when we fall short of Christ’s standards in our life?

What would others say about our lives? Are we leading people through our actions and deeds just as much as through our words?