Lord, where will You take me this morning? What treasures from Your Word do You have for me today?
With this simple prayer I began my morning with the Lord. It didn’t take long for my heart to settle on the latter half of verse 12, set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
How I live matters not only to me, but also to those who are watching me. And some of those who watch me are other believers. My first thought was that Timothy was a church leader, so naturally this is true. But as I sat with this thought, I recognized that it was also true for all of us who follow Christ.
For example, as a parent, our children watch and emulate us. Children are watching our faith and how we live out what we say and what we believe. This could probably be expanded to grandkids and even aunts and uncles, depending upon ones’ connection with extended family.
Friends watch us and pay attention to how we live. Although they may not be directly influenced by our living, they certainly are affected to some degree. So how we live, what we suggest and do with our friends, makes Kingdom differences.
And so the circle grows, co-workers, neighbors and the like. We influence the Christians in these circles by how we live, especially Christians who are younger in the Lord.
As God sharpens the focus on me and my life this morning, the different guys in my small-group come to mind, as do my children. They are watching me. It matters for them how I live, because I am an example of a Christ-follower…
Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
Lord, I pray that my day in and day out living not only honors You, but that it is also an example to other believers and non-believers in my life. All to Your honor and glory, I pray. Amen.
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