Dear Remnant,
Greetings to you in the Name of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ!
This month I want to share with you on an
important subject - Practice what you preach.
God expects us to walk as Jesus walked (1 Jn
2:6 ). We all know the adage, 'Action speaks
louder than words.' Jesus left an example for us
to follow. We see that Jesus was both a doer
and a teacher (Acts 1:1).
Because of this, His teachings were very
effective and people marveled at His teachings.
Multitudes followed Him. Today we have many
teachers who only preach but do not practice.
As a result, they don't bear any fruit. Instead,
they become stumbling blocks and hinder
others to come to the knowledge of Christ.
Apostle Paul warned such people: “You then
who teach others, do you not teach yourself?
....For, as it is written, “The name of God is
blasphemed among the Gentiles because of
you.” (Rom 2:21-24).
Preaching without practicing is hypocrisy.
The Pharisees were well-versed in it. Christ
said, “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,
and lay them on people's shoulders, but they
themselves are not willing to move them with
their finger” (Mt 23:4). The life of the Pharisees
looked very good on the exterior. But they
lacked lumen. Jesus called them 'blind guides'
and 'hypocrites'. Jesus said, “Therefore
whoever relaxes one of the least of these
commandments and teaches others to do the
same will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven, but whoever does them and teaches
them will be called great in the kingdom of
heaven” (Mt 5:19).
We are the light of the world. We need to
shine in such a way that men may see our
shining light and glorify our Father in heaven
(Mt 5:14-16). People are always watching us
and observing how we respond to different
situations in our day-to-day life. Children
watch their parents and imitate them. When
parents do not walk the talk, the children are
disappointed and go astray. This is applicable
for the leaders and elders alike. Paul while
exhorting the Ephesian elders explained how he
lived among them not coveting anybody's silver
or gold or apparel and showed them in every
way to work hard and to remember the words of
the Lord Jesus (Acts 20:17-35).
Jesus said that we cannot enter the
kingdom of God if we do not do the will of the
Father (Mt 7:21). If we just hear the Word and
not do it, we will be deceiving ourselves (Js
1:22). Besides, only doers of the law will be
justified (Rom 2:13).
In order to practice what we preach, we
must first apply those teachings in our own life.
Whenever there is a setback, we should seek
God's strength and move forward. The mercy of
the Lord is on those who fear Him and to such
who remember His commandments to do them
(Ps 103:17-18). God's grace is always available
to strengthen us. Whether we eat or drink or
whatever we do, let us do all to the glory of God
(1 Cor 10:31).
Yours in His Service,
A. Lionel
General Overseer
www.bymonline.org | April 2020 | Page 2