People Worth Imitating

I’ve mentioned many times that I have only two devotionals which I personally subscribe to, and one which I read online. One of the daily emails is titled “Breakfast of Champions” by Andy and Gina Elmes. To get these sent to you by email, go to Great Big Life and click on Breakfast of Champions. This one is from Gina.

Be imitators of faith

Hebrews 13:7, ESV
Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

The Word of God is filled with examples of people whose lives are inspirational, and I believe that their accounts are included in the Bible so that we can observe the way they chose to live and emulate and imitate their good character traits and the way they related to God. Often, the Apostle Paul in his letters to the Churches, and Christ Himself, referred to imitating the examples of people of faith. Here are just a few references to this

• Be imitators of me (1 Corinthians 4:16 – Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other. NIV);
• Follow my example and observe the pattern of behaviour you see in us (Philippians 3:17 – Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. NIV);
• Be imitators of those of faith (Hebrews 6:12 – Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. NLT);
• Jesus said to ‘do the deeds of Abraham’ (John 8:39 – “Our father is Abraham,” they replied. “If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus told them, “you would do what Abraham did. CSB).

Here are a few of my personal favourite Bible people who lived lives worth imitating. In particular, note how their obedience to God was a defining factor in how God thought about them and how He chose to use them for His great plans:

Joshua
In the Battle of Jericho God gave Joshua some truly unusual instructions that didn’t make sense to the natural mind of a warrior. Here, I learn that sometimes God asks things of us that we may not understand fully, but maybe God sees something we don’t and we need to trust Him.

Caleb
God actually spoke directly to Moses and said this of Caleb, “[Caleb] was of a different spirit because he follows me wholeheartedly” (Numbers 14:24). He turned the head of God through his obedience.

David
God chose David to replace Saul as King because of his exceptional obedience to Him. God said this to the prophet Samuel about David, “He is a man after my own heart, he’ll do all that I say” (Acts 13:22). We know David wasn’t a perfect man, but the overall inclination of his heart was to obey God.

Mary
Her life and plans were interrupted by the plans of God and because of her love and obedience toward Him, when His plan was presented to her about becoming pregnant with the Son of God, her reply was “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Jesus
Even though the Father’s plan for the salvation of humanity would cost Jesus everything, Jesus prayed this prayer and in doing so, revealed that He is our greatest example to imitate, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as You, not I, would have it.”

Today, let us use the God-given examples of people who lived lives that give us keys to living lives that are strong in God.

Examine Yourself

Last year at this time I introduced you to a new online resource, Start2Finish.org which includes various blogs, podcasts and Bible study materials materials available on everything from a phone app to print. This weekend we’re going to share two other authors from the site. Click the title below to read today’s article at its source, and then use the navigation bar to check out the rest of the website.

The Man in the Mirror

by Billy Alexander

“Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord (Lamentations 3:40).”

Bucknell University did something interesting recently. They covered all of the mirrors in the residence hall with construction paper to block reflections in what they called, “No Mirror Monday,” as part of a program to promote “body positivity” and “self-love.” (1)

At a surface level, the idea is to ignore the body shaming of the world and to promote positive self-esteem among the student body. However, in essence it is an effort to cover up the truth and confronting the truth of the image we are presenting to the world. In a spiritual sense this is a daily practice of many in the world. They do not merely go out unaware of their physical appearance but they ignore that their character is spotted by many stains (Psalm 73:6, Romans 1:28-32).

Men are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) but because of sin and “self-love” that image has been marred and disfigured grossly. To be certain, we must all have a proper love of self (Matthew 22:39) but to promote this without looking in the metaphorical mirror is dangerous. The Scribes and Pharisees dressed themselves up in false humility and appeared to be the most religious and righteous men on earth. But Jesus rebuked them for not examining their inner flaws, saying that they “cleanse the outside of the cup and dish but inside were full of extortion and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25-28).” Jesus told them that they were blind to truth or their actual appearance before God. The Lord cautioned that on Judgement Day “many” will be shocked to find that they will be cast away from Him forever (Matthew 7:21-23). How else could they be unaware of their unsightly appearance to the righteous Judge unless they ignored their visible spots and blemishes?

Jesus continued on to tell us that the wise are those who “Hear and Do” what He instructs (Matthew 7:24). James expands on this notion by saying, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was (James 1:23-24).” This is the state of those who hear the Bible and do not put the precepts into practice. What of those who fail to hear what the Bible says (John 12:48)? They have covered up the mirror of the soul (Hebrews 4:12) and go about blind to their true condition. We must all seek to see ourselves as God sees us.

Imagine failing to look in the mirror and going in for a job interview with a stained and untucked shirt, disheveled hair, and spinach in your teeth. Would you really ever dare such thing before a person who could determine whether or not you gain a job? Yet so many are heading into a much more fateful appointment (Hebrews 9:27) without ever laundering their garments and preparing properly (2 Corinthians 13:5).

If we allow Him to do so, God seeks to restore all of us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). “The Bible itself functions as spiritual direction, for as we read it prayerfully we are being formed more and more into the image of Christ. (2) Jesus is Himself the image of God (Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3) and has made God visible to us all (John 1:18). As we examine His character and model and follow Him we become partakers of the divine nature forsaking the habits of the self-seeking world (2 Peter 1:4). Look deeply into the perfect law of liberty Christian. Day by day the wrinkles, stains, and scars are fading and the high definition image of God is being perfected in you. As we look into that mirror and see His image there is no shame in that.

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV).”

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1. http://libertyunyielding.com/2017/02/27/bucknell-u-promotes-positive-self-image-covering-mirrors/
2. Richard J. Foster, A Celebration of Discipline, HarperCollins, 1978, p.187

The Servant King by Graham Kendrick

This morning while we were singing “Joy to the World,” I was reminded again that only the first verse is, strictly speaking, Christmas-oriented.  The other three commonly sung verses would fit better at Easter.

Which brings us to a similar situation with “The Servant King.”   Although I just posted another Graham Kendrick song a few weeks ago,  I always associate this associate this song with Christmas, even though it speaks more of Christ’s death and resurrection.     (Another song, which also begins incarnationally is “Here I Am To Worship,” which works well at this time of year.)

This song originates in the UK, and is well-known to Canadians, but probably many of my American readers are not familiar with it.     The lyrics appear onscreen.

^{Phil 2:5 (NIV)}In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

(Some similar writing to “The Servant King”  can be found in Kendrick’s Meekness and Majesty, another song known well in England and Canada, but not so much in the U.S.  We’ll post that one here in a few days.)