Worthy Examples! (part 9 of 9)

WORTHY EXAMPLES! (part 9 of 9)
Importance!

As Paul encouraged Timothy to be a WORTHY EXAMPLE, he pointed to the importance of such in these words:

“(15) PRACTICE THESE THINGS, IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THEM, so that all may see your progress. (16) Keep a close WATCH on YOURSELF and ON THE TEACHING. PERSIST in this, for by so doing you will SAVE BOTH YOURSELF AND YOUR HEARERS.” ( 1 Timothy 4:15-16 ESV)

Regardless of our age, we have been called by God to be EXAMPLES to each other and to the world in which we live. Being worthy examples is important. We must watch our lives very closely and this requires “practice” (“diligence”, NIV) on our part. It is important to “immerse” (“wholly” give, NIV) ourselves to this -- not just one aspect of our lives, but our whole selves. We need to “watch closely” our life and the teaching to make sure they compliment each other. In this we need to “persist”. Don’t quit!

Someone has said: “The only thing wrong with doing nothing is that you never know when you’re finished.” [calendar quote]

Let us continue to “progress” in these areas of being LIVING EXAMPLES! No standing still! No resting on our laurels! No complacency regarding spiritual stature! We must be diligent and give ourselves completely to these things. This is for our sake as well as the sake of others, bearing in mind Paul pointed out that if we do this we will save both ourselves and those who listen to the message we share. The consistency between our life and what we say will speak powerfully to others.

May we commit ourselves to following God’s Way so that we can say as Paul . . .
“BE IMITATORS OF ME, AS I AM OF CHRIST.” ( I Corinthians 11:1 ESV)

Have a great day BEING AN EXAMPLE OF CHRIST!
Carl

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[This focus was originally sent 11/07/1999 (Edited some with passages changed to ESV)]

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