PRACTICE IT: Good News by Vic Dove
“For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.”
Ezra 7:10
“Do as I say, not as I do.” Has anyone ever said that to you? It is the motto of a hypocrite. That person has the audacity to try to tie a burden on you that he is personally unwilling to bear. How can we make sure we “Practice what we preach”?
We must study God’s Word. Ezra lived in a day when God’s people were returning to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. A few decades earlier, Zerubbabel had rebuilt the Temple and reestablished corporate worship. Now Ezra was returning to bring back the teaching of God’s Word. We cannot share what we do not know. Like Apollos, we must become “mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). We do this by reading it, hearing it, studying it, memorizing it, and meditating on it daily.
We must practice God’s word. Ezra practiced what he learned in Scripture. We too must be both hearers and doers of God’s Word (James 1:22). We must analyze it and apply it. If application does not follow interpretation, the result is contradiction.
We must teach God’s Word. Like Ezra, we should share God’s Word with others after we study it and put it into practice. We are to teach it to lost people so they can be saved, and also to believers so they can grow and mature in their walk with Christ.
Are you living what you preach? Is your Christian walk consistent with your talk? If not, begin to focus your heart on God’s Word, The Bible. Seek it, obey it, and communicate it to others. People are not looking for someone who is perfect, but they are looking for someone who is real. Be a consistent Christian today.
He became the youngest person at age 30 to serve as a college president during his tenure at Northwestern College in Minnesota. In 1949 he launched a large tent revival crusade in Los Angeles that catapulted him to national recognition and in 1991; he spoke to 250,000 people in New York’s Central Park. For over 50 years, he preached a simple gospel message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, reaching an estimated 2.2 billion people globally through radio, television, and stadium crusades. His message was bold and uncompromising. He was personal counsel to 11 United States Presidents, from Truman to George W. Bush. Early in his career, a fellow evangelist accused Billy of setting religion back 200 years, Billy’s response was: “ I did indeed want to set religion back, not just 200 years, but 2000 years all the way back to Calvary.”
Billy Graham lived what he preached daily. He loved people and Jesus so much he devoted his life to both. Referring to his own longing to see Christ, he said, “I look forward to seeing Christ and bowing before Him in praise and gratitude…for using me on this earth, by His grace-“Just as I am.”
Shoulder to Shoulder,
Bro. Vic
