2 Timothy 1:13
Now follow the example of the correct teaching I gave you, and let the faith and love of Christ Jesus be your model.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
At the end of this devotional, I’ve posted a link to a YouTube video of a Cuban baby dancing on a tabletop. This is really cute. Clearly this baby is following the example of teaching from someone else – he didn’t think this up on his own! Babies learn from others. Early on, we sat Timothy on our laps and read books to him. Now he brings the books to us and wants us to read them to him. He has learned from our model. He hears adults talking, and he mimics their words. He sees the characters on Jack’s Big Music Show and Yo Gabba Gabba! dancing, and he tries to dance, too.
Sadly, if Timothy hears bad language or sees inappropriate behaviors, he may very well imitate those, too. Helping babies and young children develop well is a huge responsibility and requires that those of us who are older always check our behavior and make sure we are demonstrating only positive actions and speech.
In much the same way, we Christians must model the correct teachings of the Bible … the faith and love of Christ Jesus. Others are watching … non-believers, “baby” Christians, and those who may look to us for leadership and a reflection of living in a manner that honors and pleases God. Everybody has a bad day – or a less than stellar moment. But on the whole, we must be continually on our guard, checking our behavior … our thoughts, words and actions … so that what we exhibit and demonstrate lines up with the word of God.
The baby in the video is having fun. The adults in his world have shown him how to “let go” and move to the music, and he is enjoying himself and the attention he is garnering from those around him. Christians can have fun, too. We have this crazy notion that following the teachings of Jesus and His model for living will turn us into boring, miserable, stiff, stuck-up robots who march along in silent compliance to rigid demands and requirements. This is simply not true.
Living for Jesus can be as freeing and fun as a Cuban baby learning to dance! We can learn to dance in the joy and blessings of following Jesus … sharing Him with others. We can model Christ’s teachings, faith and love to others in a way that shows just how fun life in Christ really is!
What are you modeling? Are you showing others how to live in the joy, faith and love of Christ? Are you a “fun” Christian? When others look at you, do they see someone for whom living in Christ is a chore, or do they see the joy of new discoveries, much like a baby who discovers the joy of reading books? Ask God to show you where you may have missed the mark. Ask Him to reveal to you the joy of living for Jesus … and to help you convey this to others. God is calling us to set a good example. How are you doing these days?
©2010 Debbie Robus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOt0nsZLjds
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