Be An Example

by Bro. Charlie Heath
09/22/2023

1 Timothy 4:12 - “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

We all have seen and appreciated the little boy who looks at his daddy and copies his every move. What the daddy does, the little boy does. What the daddy says, the little boy says. While moments like these are precious, more precious are the moments when a young believer finds and follows a mature believer as they seek the Lord. The truth of the matter is that we all ought to be looking to someone and leading someone. There is never a moment where we have “arrived” as Christians, but, on the flip side, we are all called to be teaching others. Within the local church, we ought to be gleaning help from those who are more mature and wiser in the faith, but we also ought to bring people along with us.

Paul demonstrates this in 2 Timothy 2:2 when he says, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” As Timothy looked to Paul, he was to be teaching “faithful men.” As the “faithful men” looked to Timothy, they were to “teach others also.” This is the God-given process for the edification of the believers within the local church.

A provoking question must then be asked, “What could younger Christians glean from your life?” Let's give a scenario. Someone you work with comes to church with you and accepts the Lord as their Savior. They then return to work and look to you every day as an example. What you do, say, laugh at, and listen to is their only model for spiritual growth. If you were their only source of maturation, how much would they be able to succeed as a Christian? Thankfully, we understand from Scripture that the Holy Spirit is the One who grows the believer. However, in understanding that, we need not forget that we, as more mature believers, also play a part in how others grow. We should each be examples of the believers.

Maybe a younger Christian in your church stands out in your mind that you could help along in their spiritual journey. Reach out to them and help them. This is not to imply that we have it all figured out. We ought to first and foremost look to the Lord Jesus Christ as our example, but also realize that He has placed earthly examples in our lives that we can learn from. We all have room for growth, and we all have someone that we could be helping grow. Pray and ask the Lord to help you today to be an example of the believers.

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