FAITH FILES

“DO as I say, not as I do.” That is the message many feel is coming from Boris and his team at the moment.

Can I say though that whatever you think about the parties at Number 10 last year, please still do what is necessary to keep everyone safe over Christmas.

Many are questioning the moral authority of the government. Let’s get to the bottom of what actually happened before we conclude, but if the allegations are true, I can understand people’s anger.

Have you ever been in the situation where you tell a child what to do, and they reply, “But that’s not what you do…”? As parents we also have to be role models – they pick up are more from our actions than our words!

Back in Jesus’ day, the religious leaders were in the same situation. He told the crowds that they need to follow the teaching from the law that they gave, but “do not do what they do, for they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”

The only one who we can truly look to in this is Jesus. What He said is what He did.

Whether you agree with His teaching or not, you have to admit that He put it into action. And so what we have from Jesus is not simply a nice theory of moral living, but proof that it actually works.

His followers, both then and now, have a high bar set to live up to. And it has inspired people through the centuries.

If we will admit it though, none of us are perfect in this regard. We might not set out to lead people astray by our deeds, but we all fall short as an example to others at times.

But, thankfully, Jesus has made a way to make up for this. The Bible describes believers as being ‘in Christ Jesus’. His grace is sufficient for our weakness.

There’s no excuse for parties during lockdown, but I’m sure most people can think of a time when they’ve not followed social distancing rules to the letter.

Let’s think twice before we point the finger at others.

Tim Gossling