ON BEING AN EXAMPLE

Gilbert Stewart was one of America’s greatest artists. He became famous because of the magnificent portraits he painted. In fact, he painted the portraits of the first six presidents of the United States. His work was easily recognized because of its beautiful coloring. On one occasion, a group of his competitors stole his colors thinking that they could match his work if they had his paints.

When Benjamin West, another artist, heard that other artists stole his paints, he went to them and said, “It’s no use to steal his colors. If you want to paint as he paints, you must steal his eyes.”

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he challenged them to “follow my example and do as I do.” This is a rather bold statement, and we may think he is better than us and is asking us to copy his lifestyle. Not so. Paul encouraged the Corinthian Christians, and us today, to do as he did: imitate Christ. He was willing and able and empowered to imitate Him because he read and meditated on God’s Word, spent time with Him in prayer and worship. And if we, as His disciples, want to imitate Christ, we must do as Paul did: study, meditate, pray. Only as we come to know Him, love Him and worship Him will we be able to imitate Him. And, if we want to know Him as Paul knew Him, we spend time with Him.

Prayer: Lord, grant us a passion to want to love You, know You, serve You, and finally imitate You. May we willingly surrender our lives to You and become like You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

Scripture For Today:   For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. So I urge you to imitate me. 1 Corinthians 4:14-16