Resources/Articles
Pay Attention and Be A Good Example
Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct,
in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:2
How far does an example travel? As far as we allow it to go. It will reach from coast to coast and from one generation to the next. Examples have an enduring quality you cannot discount. You are the one who has witnessed them. You are the one who creates them.
At a summer camp we direct, a young boy and girl were answering Bible questions in a daily Bible quiz. They wrote down the right answer and obtained points for their team. Later, they confessed to their team captain they obtained their answer from another boy and girl of an opposing team sitting next to them. The points they had previously obtained for the right answer were deducted. What a display of character! What a lesson learned! Such integrity lays the groundwork for a future of likeminded decisions.
A high school senior honored as one of the “best and brightest” in a community provided a forceful demonstration of integrity. His school team was given the word auditorium in a regional spelling bee. The boy glanced down to ponder his response and noticed the word was printed on the microphone stand. He called this to the attention of the judges who responded with a more difficult word. The boy did what he knew was right whether others noticed it or not.
Our examples are often presented as reflections of where we stand with God. We do not know when our actions might become examples to others. If we live each day to honor Jesus, our behavior will model his righteousness, no matter who is watching.
We ideally like to see young people respond to decisions in life as in the above illustrations. Their enthusiasm to do what is right rubs off on adults who have trouble speaking and living righteous, holy, and godly lives. Uprightness and honor should be the goal of young and old - Christians of every age. Paul told the young Christian Timothy: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity (1 Timothy 4:12). If the above illustrations are told to others, then their examples live on, and they will have changed not just the small world around them, but others in other parts of the world.
Who is watching and listening? Maybe we are always concerned about it being God who is watching. Others are as well. Do not let that make you nervous. Allow it to cause you to join others in the pursuit of godliness, integrity, and exemplary behavior. One man wrote: “I would be rue, for there are those who trust me; I would be pure, for there are those who care. I would be strong, for there is much to suffer; I would be brave, for there is much to dare” (Walter). A good example will always make a good sermon.
