That Man! - Romans 2:23-24

You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.
 - Romans 2:23-24

    Have you ever exited a situation believing in your heart that you just may have made things worse? To me, walking the Christian walk is sometimes like that. I don’t mean sharing the Gospel; I mean trying to live the life I am preaching about. I often wonder if what I’m doing is reflecting a Godly walk to others, especially unbelievers. And if I’m not, what does that say for my desire to glorify God? I know what Christ has to say about my failure.  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” - Matthew 23:15.
    “But,” you might say, “don’t be so hard on yourself; no one is perfect.” True, but while perfection is not promised us this side of glory, what about “direction.” Despite my activities and behavior, are there would-be proselytes who hesitate in their leap of faith because of something I’ve said or done? “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” Romans 14:13. Jesus was very insistent that we Christians do nothing that would make others stumble. “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” - Matthew 18:7. Perhaps now you might see the dismay I feel at the possibility that I might be guilty of such an offense.
    Face it; we can preach all day . . . until we’re blue in the face, but if our outward behavior doesn’t square with what we are preaching then why would someone - anyone - choose Christ? One need only pick up a newspaper or watch the nightly news to hear the pealing chorus of unbelievers and their accusations of blatant hypocrisy. I must search myself daily to see if there is any chink in my armor of light. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” - Romans 13:12. In fact, Romans 13 speaks directly to the love we must have for our neighbors and putting on Christ! Do we? Can we?
    Certainly, we could all do more to guard against our own spiritual slippage. Someone once said that our behavior as Christians might be the only view of the Bible that an unbeliever ever gets. My desire is to reflect that Bible accurately so that unbelievers around me see the glory of God and not the woeful behavior of just another hypocrite. The notion of “Do what I say and not what I do” didn’t even work with my children. Why would I expect an unbeliever seeking a Christian example to heed such nonsense?
    It is my fervent prayer that the Holy Spirit fills my heart with the love I so much need to give witness to and glorify God in the manner He so richly deserves from a sinner saved by His grace and by His grace alone.