Sometimes when someone has delivered bad news and the recipient of the message reacts harshly, the messenger will respond, “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.” In other words, I had and have nothing to do with this message. I am merely the one carrying it from A to B.
Too often, some Christians seem to live by the philosophy that says, “I’ve got to carry the message, but the message doesn’t have anything to do with me.” How easily some forget that the message of the gospel must first be applied to ourselves before it can have a true impact in the lives of others. Think about that in relationship to Jonah and Nineveh. Think about it in relationship to Paul’s preaching. Paul said, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27).
In God’s plan of redemption, I am more than just the messenger. I am doing more than carrying a message from A to B. I must first apply the truth to my life, then share it with others.