Imitation
1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1
Just the other day, I found myself reflecting on our evangelical ministries and missions—on how we send missionaries to distant lands. Often, the missionaries and new believers share warm fellowship and genuine joy in one another’s company. The missionaries preach the gospel, the people receive it, and lives are transformed. How beautiful that is.
Yet I also considered something troubling: how reluctant we are to allow these new believers to come and see us where we live and how we conduct our own lives. Even when we invite them to conferences or major programs, we often keep a distance and avoid close interaction. Why? Mostly because we fear that we may not live up to their expectations. We fear that they may become disillusioned by the reality of our daily lives, of how evil we have become…
If that is the case, it is like offering them impure water from a polluted reservoir. The Word of God is living and powerful, and it is only because of this that the Lord continues to use us for the extension of His kingdom—nothing else.
Like the apostle Paul, we too should strive to be exemplary models for others. Paul urged the church to imitate him because his life consistently reflected Christ wherever he went.
Is it not time, then, to change our habits so that others may see Christ clearly in us? Should we not also live as good examples for all to follow?
