A scripture often referenced when discussing child upbringing is Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV). Charles Spurgeon put a beautiful spin on this verse when he said, ‘’Train up a child in the way he should go — but be sure you go the way yourself’’. Beyond the scope of bringing up children, this is a sound counsel for anyone who is responsible for any form of training or in leadership position. Asking people go the way you are not willing to go makes you a scribe or a Pharisee at best. They specialize in churning out rules, but never to be guided by any themselves. Jesus reserved the sternest of rebuke for these groups.

“Those who practice what they teach merit followership.”

Jesus stands out as the greatest teacher of all times not just because of the truth He effused, but because He lived out what He taught. As a matter of fact, what He taught proceeded from His actions. Luke tells us of ‘’all that Jesus began to do and teach’’. For Him, doing precedes teaching. Incidentally, the moral authority to teach a thing comes from the practice of the same. Jesus wanted His disciples to serve one another after His departure, so He demonstrated that by washing their feet. It was only after He had washed their feet that He brought out the moral of the act. Those who practice what they teach merit followership.