Head: Know God’s Word | Heart: Love God | Hands: Follow God’s Way
Read Matthew 23
Head
Have you ever heard the phrase, “practice what you preach”? In our passage today, Jesus is talking to the crowd and his disciples about how to live holy lives God’s way. He tells them not to do like the Pharisees do because they do not “practice what they preach”. The Pharisees were leaders who followed SOME rules, but only the ones they wanted, and they forgot to love others in the process. They wanted to look good on the outside, but their hearts were ugly on the inside. God wants us to obey him because we love him, not because it will make us look good.
Heart
The Pharisees liked to do good things only when others were watching, but God wants us to do good things out of a heart of love for him. Let’s say you are walking down the hall at school and you see a friend struggling to carry a heavy load. Would you only help them if your teacher was watching? Or would you help them even if no one else was there to commend you for it? That’s the genuine heart Jesus is talking about. God wants us to be kind, honest, and loving on the inside. If our “inside” is full of love for God, our “outside” will show it, and we won’t have to pretend to be good. Love and kindness will just naturally flow out of us.
Hands
The key to showing real love to others is a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Have you put your faith in Jesus? The more time you spend reading God’s word and praying to Him, the more you will understand God’s great love for you. God is the only one who can help you live a holy life that is pleasing to Him. He loves you and wants to be your friend. If you want to learn more about what this looks like, ask a parent or a KXP leader to talk with you about it. I know they would love to walk with you on your faith journey as you come to know Jesus as your Savior and friend.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for giving us your Word to teach us how to live Holy lives for you. Help us to love you with our hearts, and not just with our words. Help us to be kind, genuine and loving even when no one is watching. In Jesus’ name, Amen.