Who are your heroes in the faith? Do you have seasoned and wiser Christians that you have come to respect and admire for their wisdom, faith, and character? Sometimes such people are difficult to find and a rare commodity, but it is well worth the effort to seek them out. Spending time with those who have served the Lord for the vast majority of their lives can bring great wisdom and insight into your life walk with the Lord. Learning from those who have had to depend on Christ during difficult times can prepare you well for what life brings in the future.
Paul challenged the believers in Corinth to “imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). This was a bold statement to make on his behalf. He was setting his life as an example of what it meant to be a Christian and a follower of Christ. He had enough faith in his relationship with Jesus and security with his life in Christ that he could use himself as the standard to follow. This put his faith walk under the spotlight to be scrutinized by the entire church. This meant that should he fail, he could expect no less of those who were following him. The key to Paul’s bold declaration was that he was both a leader and a follower. How well he led was directly related to how well he followed Christ. He knew that if he could be a true follower of Jesus who never fails, then those who followed him would be safe. But if he ever took his eyes off Christ, it would have devastating effects on the believers who were watching his life.
With this thought in mind, would you be bold enough to say, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ?” Are you so confident is your relationship with Jesus, that you could have someone imitate EVERY area of your life as an example of what it means to be a Christian: your thought life, your speech, what you view on TV, and how you spend your time and money? Think about this, is there anything in your life or character that would not be good for others to imitate? If so, as a believer you are influencing other by your faith and by your flaws. The only way to correct this is to take up Paul’s challenge. I know that we do not have the luxury of fellowshipping with Paul and witnessing firsthand his walk with the Lord. What we do have are the scriptures. Paul challenged Timothy to “be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim 4:12). What was Paul doing, he was directing his young protégé to imitate Christ.
May this be our challenge as well, that we would imitate Christ so anyone could imitate any aspect of our life, and they would look more like Christ because of it.
Be blessed and have a wonderful weekend,
Pastor Ramon
Lead Pastor
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