Values
Those who teach by their doctrine must teach by their life or else they pull down with one hand what they build up with the other. (Matthew Henry, 17th – 18th century preacher and writer)
It’s a lesson we all need to keep in mind. What we do often speaks louder than what we say. Our influence has little, if any, benefit when we are observed living in ways contrary to what we claim are our values. We don’t like the term hypocrite, but that is how Jesus described religious leaders of his day who ignored the intent of the law they proclaimed. Be true to your values!
Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions (Matthew 7:20)