I Don’t Want to be a Pharisee

I don’t want to be a Pharisee!

In Matthew, Jesus speaks out warning against the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.  He calls them hypocrites and snakes.  He calls them out for saying one thing but doing another thing.  He scolds them for falsely teaching others – for taking the law out of context and missing the point of the law.

We don’t have Pharisees today, but we do have preachers, teachers, and lay people who do the very things for which Jesus accused the teachers of the law and the Pharisees.  I don’t want to be like that.

As a father, I find that this is the biggest area where I struggle with this.  I want to be the best example for my kids.  I want to teach them in words, and I want to lead by my actions.  Unfortunately, I don’t always get this right.  I fail.  I don’t follow through.  I lack consistency at times.  I tell them to watch what they eat while I grab a bowl of ice cream for myself.  I tell them to get a good nights sleep while I burn the candle at both ends.

God, may the thoughts in my heart and mind, the words of my mouth, and my actions please and honor you!

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Psalm 19:14

Are you a hypocrite?  Come clean.  What action can you take today to end your hypocrisy?