Thursday, May 07, 2015

In our last few visits we’ve been studying Philippians 4:8-9. We discovered God wants our lives to exhibit Christ-like qualities of character and behavior. This is essential if we want to be good Christian mentors. Bryan Davis, Director of All Pro Dad, points out that “The greatest spiritual and sociological problem in our country is the lack of godly fathers and role models.” I believe he is right in his analysis. If you are a father or grandfather do you sense that your children and grandchildren expect your life to be a godly role model? What about your neighbors or fellow employees? Broadening the application, if you are a young person, do your fellow students expect you to live this way? What about your parents, do they expect you to live this way? Paul wrote young Timothy, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Now, let me ask another question. Are you ready to step up to the plate and encourage others to follow your example as you are following Jesus Christ’s example? That’s what Paul did in Philippians 3:17: “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” He was implying that he was not to be considered the only role model available. There were others that the believers were to take note of. Would you be one that others would notice in your church as being a role model to follow? I believe God would want all of us to aspire to that.