Many are those, including some who are preachers, who are forced by their lives to say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” This is not the case with Paul. He reminded the Thessalonians that they, along with God, were witnesses of “how holily and justly and unblameably…” he had behaved in their presence (1 Thessalonians 2:10). To the Christians at Philippi he wrote, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9). What an example! Paul could emphatically and without hesitation say, “Do as I do and God will be pleased with you!”

Paul possessed an unquestionable, unimpeachable character and so should we. Like Paul forced his Jewish brethren to do, we should be asking ourselves, “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? 23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?” (Romans 2:21–23). Constant self-examination is a must for every Christian, and especially for those of us who preach. Others are looking to us not just for the words that bring eternal life, but for the example of how to live to attain it.

In a world where leaders are almost expected to live a disgraceful life with zero integrity, let us be those who stand out from the crowd. Our very life should cry out, “Do as I do and God will be pleased with you.” Let us be those who are left without anything with which our adversaries can accuse us. If they do seek to make accusations, may they be forced, as they were with Jesus (Mark 14:56-59), to summon false witnesses because they could not find flaws within our character.