They're watching!

Maribel and I traveled to Selinsgrove, PA yesterday to see my parents. My grandson, age 13 months, was in his car seat in the center of the backseat of my car. I started snapping my fingers to the beat the song on the CD and in the rearview mirror caught a glimpse of the tyke with his little arm extended and bent just like mine, trying his best to snap his fingers. It was a funny, sobering moment! What other parts of my life is he watching? What will he take away from Grandpa's example in word and action? The thought persisted through the day as I walked and talked with my Dad and saw, in a renewed way, the power of legacy. My Dad's parents met Christ and were transformed by the Gospel. They passed the the faith to my parents, who passed the faith to me. Bev and I passed it to our children, who are now passing it to their children. As I took a photo of my Dad and my grandson; and a silent prayer went up to the Lord - "may all who come behind me, find me faithful!"

Believer, the Gospel that is entrusted to us is not just to be preached, it must be lived! We not only have a message, we have a charge to be models of faith. Paul wrote, "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." (Philippians 3:17, NKJV) There is no arrogance in his statement. It is an invitation. He was able to say, "If you want to know how this thing called Christianity works, watch me! Do what I do. As I work out the implications of being a follower of Christ, you can observe my choices, my decisions, and use them as a guide in your own discipleship."

Can you say the same to your family, to your neighbors, to your world?

My first objection is, "That's hard and I'm not perfect." Nobody is, not even Paul who invited those first generation Believers to imitate his walk with Christ. Authenticity is of critical importance! We teach as much by the way we recover from our mistakes as we do when we hit a homerun; perhaps even more. Recently I was having a conversation with a fellow Believer about the road I am walking with my Dad in this time of his critical illness. It's been a difficult way - a mix hope and fear, times of amazing faith and no faith at all. The man with whom I was speaking reminded me that many were watching and learning from my example. "Oh, Lord!" I thought to myself, "what if I don't do this well?" But that's the wrong focus. It's not about me; it's about the Presence of Christ in me.

Jesus Christ showed His first disciples and us, as well, how to be a good example. He told them that the strength is not from will, intellect, or wit! "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8, NIV) Passing the faith along, being a teller, a mentor, and a model is not a matter of performance. That is the tragedy of superficial religion. It isn't about learning some good lines or putting on a good show. It is living as people of the Spirit, changed from the inside out. The Lord reserved His strongest condemnation for those who put on a good religion show, whose hearts were far from devotion to God. Of them, He said, ". . . be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer. "Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. . . . Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty. "I’ve had it with you! You’re hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom." (Matthew 23:3-5, 11-13, The Message)

Pray that God will make you a bridge to the life of Christ, not a roadblock!
Deal ruthlessly with sin and inconsistency in your life.
Refuse the temptation to pretend to be someone that you are not but, at the same time,
aspire to be all that the Holy Spirit makes it possible for you to become.
And, the beauty of Jesus will shine through you.