Right Example!

Right Example!

Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you. Philippians 4:9 AMPC

This is a letter written by both Paul and his protege Timothy. The message in the verse above is first and foremost personal. Paul was the one who found the young man Timothy and mentored him, until the boy was able to stand and defend the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This boy was left in Ephesus to carry out the work of ministry, and he performed creditably well. The question for me is whether there are lives that are being mentored by my examples of consistency, faithfulness to service, and commitment to the standards of God's kingdom. It is never about well I speak, or the standard of outward performance; it is about inner conviction that drives outward impact.

Paul and his protege Timothy described themselves as bond servants of Christ Jesus. They knew that their physical conditions or limitations were not limits to what God could do through them. They understood that as long as they were submitted to the authority of the One who called and set them apart for His use, they would be fine. They did not allow phyiscal limitations impact the power and spread of the gospel of Christ. Like them, I am also called to be a witness to the truths of Jesus Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the grace and help that His Spirit now inspires and sustains in all who surrender totally to Him. He never leaves His own alone to fend for themselves. 

It is in that spirit that the verse above should be viewed. Paul and Timothy were writing to God's consecrated people Philippi, with the leaders also. As we saw in the example of Timothy who Paul mentored to spiritual authority, so did Paul encourage the entire church to hold on to the teachings of Jesus that Paul had taken time to lay out in that church. Paul could say quite authoritatively that his life was an example that could be emulated. He could say with confidence that his life was patterned after the standards of Jesus. Those ars high words coming from a mortal man too. We recall the example of Elijah, also a mortal man, who prayed, and God shut the heavens for three and a half years. 

Different generations and dispensations, but still the same God. He is still seeking men through whom He can shine forth and attract men to His kingdom. Paul charged his audience to practice what they had learned and received and heard and seen in him. Check out the consistency in His life: there was no difference in what he taught in public and what he practiced in private. There were no inconsistencies. That is the power of a consistent life. He could say with confidence that if his audience could model their way of living on his examples, they would be fine. That is deep; can God recommend me to His church as an example to emulate? God's time of favour is here.