Memorise: Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 1st Timothy 3:7
Read: Romans 2:17-25 (KJV)
17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Bible in one year:
Exodus 9:10,
Jeremiah 32:1-15,
Hymnal:
Sing hymn 5
Message:
An old adage says, “One example is better than precepts.” This is particularly true with respect to a preacher’s life.
Today’s memory verse tells us why a preacher fails to live up to what he or she preaches, such a preacher will suffer reproach and open the door for the devil to have a foothold in his or her life. The seven sons of Sceva are good case point (Acts 19:12-17). A preacher must have a good report, even among unbelievers. Our Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:16:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Romans 2:20 says those who preach by words alone and not by good deeds are instructors of the foolish. In other words, only a fool would listen to someone who does not practise what he or she preaches. The same Bible verse also describes such people as teachers of babes. Only babes would take a teacher who leads a double-life seriously. However, by the time such babes in Christ grow to a level of considerable spiritual maturity, they will abandon such teachers. This accounts for why some churches remain a nursery for Christians who later move on to higher levels in other churches.
There is no way our preaching can be effective if we do the direct opposite of what we preach. We strip God’s word of its power in the lives of our hearers when we are neck deep in those same vices we preach against. It is better not to be a preacher than to be one who does not do what he or she preaches, because the Name of the Lord is reviled in the process and the word of God is made of none effect. Romans 2:23-24 says:
“Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.”
The choice is yours to make on not being numbered among those who drag the Name of the Lord through the mud. Today, some preachers have become the object of mockery because they have refused to like Jesus Christ, who embodied all that He taught (Acts 1:1). It is time for preachers to begin to preach and live God’s word, and not their own ideas. Jesus is the Word of God, and preachers must draw the attention of their audience to Him alone. It is when we lift Jesus up in our messages that men will be drawn to Him (John 12:32)
Prayer Point:
Father, anoint my tongue with Your fire and make me an effective preacher of Your word.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional Lessons was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical Churches in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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